


As the World Falls Down

by KittyoftheNight



Category: Lost Boys (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-12-18 08:15:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 53,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11870259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyoftheNight/pseuds/KittyoftheNight
Summary: Allegra's father left when she was 5. Now, her mother is practically nonexistent. When she walked the board walk that night, everything changed. As her world begins to fall apart in front of her, she's left with only two options. She can either run or she can stand up and face the challenges that are forced upon her. A little help from a few vampires wouldn't hurt either. Or would it?





	1. Santa Carla, California

**[The Lost Boys]**

**As The World Falls Down**

**Chapter one**

**Santa Carla, California**

I’m not scared of death. It’s odd, I realize, walking through the dark of the boardwalk with my so called ‘boyfriend’. I live in the murder capital of the world. Here in Santa Carla, someone goes missing every day, and people are left wondering if they’ll be next. It’s not something that I really ever worried about though as I went through my day to day life. I had better things to worry about, like applying to colleges and shit. Granted, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, but it was worth a try instead of sitting on my ass all day. I mean, what else was I supposed to do?

Running a hand through my messy hair, I let out a sigh, pushing my way inside the Chinese restaurant as Mark followed behind me. The thing had been around for as long as I could remember. Granted, it was a little dingy, but the food was decent. Better than most places I’ve been to at least.

“Hmm…”

I let my eyes rack across the menu as I stood there, hand on my chin as I tried to decide what I wanted this time around. Last time, I’d gotten Egg Foo Young.

“Could get egg foo yin,” Mark said, standing behind me.

“It’s Egg Foo Young, bozo,” I told him, rolling my eyes. “And we had that last time.”

It wasn’t bad or anything, but I didn’t feel like having it again at the moment. Then, there was the Moo Goo Gai Pan. That was also good, but still, it wasn’t what I was craving. Stepping forward, I placed my hands on the counter, biting down on my lip.

“What about the Sesame Chicken?” he grinned, causing my face to scrunch up in disgust.

“Ew! You know I hate that stuff!” I scowled, shaking my head as I turned to the man behind the counter.

“Hi, can I get an order of your chicken and shrimp Mei Fun, Won Ton Soup, Spare Ribs, a couple of egg rolls, and some of your Chinese donuts?” I asked, pulling out my wallet.

The guy behind the counter nodded his head, writing the order down in his native tongue, before shouting into the back. Once that was out of the way, he told me my total, his wording slightly off as he spoke in broken English. It didn’t bother me though as I handed over the cash, before receiving my change. From there, I took a seat, knowing that it would be a few minutes. Doing this allowed me to rest my eyes for a bit, a yawn escaping me as I rubbed at my face.

“How are you still tired?” Mark asked, sitting down beside me as his black dyed bangs fell into his face.

“The damn dog next store,” I groaned, fighting the urge to kick him in the face when his nose was about two inches from mine.

Today had been a long day. I’d been up since five, listening to my neighbor’s dog barking at nothing. The damn thing never shut up, save for when I sprayed it with the hose. I nearly laughed when I thought back to the first time that I’d done it, watching as the thing yelped and went running for the hills. My mother had given me an ear full, but that’s when she’d actually been there. Normally, she was out getting high somewhere with one of her friends. Unfortunately, my dad wasn’t in the picture anymore, so it wasn’t like he could say anything. I think that last time I’d seen him, I was about five or so. I wasn’t really sure. Ever since then though, it seemed like Mom was always off on a bender somewhere.

Shaking my head, I opened my eyes, looking up at the black spotted ceiling. Mold. It wasn’t anything new. I could hear laughter outside as people walked around, nearly jumping when the Asian man called out saying that my food was ready.

Pushing myself up, I walked back up to the counter, thanking him as I grabbed my food. I grabbed a few packets of duck sauce, along with some of the soy sauce packs, dropping it into one of the two bags. As I stepped outside the smell wafted into my nose. Unable to resist, I pulled a tiny sugar-coated donut from the bag and popped it into my mouth as I made my way down the board walk toward what would hopefully be a quieter section of the beach. I also shoved the other bag into Mark’s hands, not really caring to carry both of them.

We wove in and out of the crowds as Mark and I walked further down the board walk, before I decided to say the hell with it, grabbing hold of the metal railing and jumping over it. I heard Mark let out a yell as I landed in the sand, a grin on my face. The railing had been the only thing keeping me from the beach. It was an act of ‘aerobatics’ that I was used to doing, easily being able to make my way out of any crowd on the walk with that little short cut. Mark was too chicken shit to do it though, afraid that he’d hurt himself or land face first in the sand.  I’d yet to truly hurt myself though, really only ever roughing my hands up a bit upon landing.

Pushing myself up, I took the time to remove my boots, tucking my socking in as I tied the laces in order to hang my boots over my shoulder. Looking up, I smirked at Mark, laughing as he glared at me.

“It’s just a few feet,” I laughed, before turning and moving my way down the beach.

I could hear him calling after me, but easily managed to ignore it. Instead of concentrating on his voice, I took the time to memorize the feeling of the sand below my feet, toes curling into the sand as I walked.

“Wait up, would ya?” Mark called out, running toward the stairs as I continued to walk.

I tried not to laugh as I continued walking, a smirk on my face as I went, getting closer to the water’s edge. I could feel the sand getting a bit damper as I went, footsteps rushing to catch up to me. My ears picked up on the sound of the crashing waves near the edge of the overhead walk. Coming here allowed me to get away from the people, the waves drowning out the sound of the civilians above. I smirked when I found that nothing had been moved, feet trudging through the sand, tossing my boots down on the sand, along with my bag. I could still hear some of the noise above us, the bustle of the people ever present as we hid below the walk. Sitting down on a washed up log, I pulled my food from the bag, popping open a carton of rice as I shoved chopsticks in my mouth.

“Hey, pass me the chopsticks, will ya?” Mark asked, holding his hand out.

I rolled my eyes, biting back the want of calling him a lazy ass, but tossed him a pair none the less. After I did that, I doused the very top of my rice in soy sauce, before tossing the now empty packet back into the bag. With a sigh, I took my first bite, closing my eyes as I enjoyed the taste. I pulled the soup out after a few minutes, chugging some of the liquid before grabbing one of the Wontons with my chopsticks and shoving it into my mouth. It was something that I’d never get tired of eating.

After another 10 minutes or so, I grimaced, putting down my chopsticks. I noticed a couple of guys making their way toward us from down the beach, Mark paying no mind as he stuffed his face without a care. I cringed at his eating habits, turning away as he continued to chew with his mouth open. It was disgusting. Looking back toward what would be our oncoming guests, I frown, realizing what they were. Surf Nazi’s.

Surf Nazi’s were a group of rowdy individuals that thought that they owned the place, chasing out those that they felt unworthy to be around what was theirs. They saw the board walk as a prize, something that they could control, despite the fact that it belonged to the people. Unfortunately, no one was really brave enough to stand up to them and put them in their place. Anytime that another gang would make its way around in town, a problem always seemed to turn up and a fight would break out. The morons were extremely territorial.

I caught Mark watching me as the Surf Nazi’s drew closer, my hand gripping lightly at the knife in my back pocket. He knew that I always carried it. They didn’t know that though. It was something that I never left the house without, for obvious reasons. Even though living in Santa Carla never bothered me, I wasn’t stupid enough to walk around completely unprotected.

“Hey, Markie!” one called out, laughing as he nearly tripped over his own feet.

As he came forward, stepping into the light of the fire, I realized that it was Mark’s brother Tom. I groaned inwardly at this. Mark was annoying at times, but Tom was ten times worse. The moron even had his boys call him Tom-Tom at times, thinking that having his name said twice was something special. Tom also had a habit of getting a little too close and a little too grabby. He felt that since he was one of the higher ups in his group that he was entitled to whatever he wanted. God, was he sorely mistaken.

“Hey, Mark, I’m gonna head home,” I told him, standing from my spot as I grabbed my boots.

“What?” Mark gaped. “We haven’t even been here that long.”

I merely ignored his confusion, brushing my pants off as I shoved my food back into the bag.

“Hey, now, don’t leave on our account, _Allegra_ ,” Tom said, deliberately dragging out my name.

The guy sent a chill down my spine as I narrowed my eyes.

“I’m going home,” I repeated. “I’m tired.”

As I moved away, I felt a hand grab my arm. Their grip was like iron, hand bruising my skin.

“Let go.”

My voice was even as I turned my head back around, glaring daggers at the hand on my arm. I didn’t like to be touched and this was no exception. I’d been like this for years, men taking the brunt of it. I felt like most of them weren’t even worth the time of day. In fact, the only reason I was technically even dating Mark was just so that he’d shut up and stop begging me to go out with him. Luckily, he was harmless, but I couldn’t say the same for his brother.

“I’m giving you five seconds to remove that hand, Tom,” I told him. “One. Two…”

“Oh, come on, Allegra. Don’t be such a bitch.”

“Five!” I said irritably, before I whirled around and decked him.

The second he let go, I ran for it, rushing down the beach with my food and back toward where Mark and I had come from. There was no way that I was going to chance looking back as I heard Tom and his buddy shouting. No doubt that hit to the face was a wakeup call, pulling him from his drunken stupor. It just sucked that I didn’t have a baseball bat.

“Ha! That would’ve hurt,” I laughed, hurrying up the steps.

I winced slightly at the harsh concrete beneath my feet, wishing that I was still on the beach with the sand. Why couldn’t I have just brought flip flops? I mean, that would have made much more sense. Alas, making sense wasn’t always my thing. Then again, I also hadn’t expected to be rushed, and being rushed would have meant falling on my face in flip flops anyway. In fact, I’d actually been looking forward to having a little quiet time, even if it was with Mark. At least then I wouldn’t have had to deal with all the bullshit, but no, Mark’s brother just had to be an annoying freaking Surf Nazi! If Mark ever tried to join him, he’d be done and his ass would be on the ground.

“Freaking morons!” I hissed, trudging through the board walk to find a place to sit down.

I’d made it all the way near a set of bikes on the side of the board walk, before I couldn’t take it anymore and had to stop. My feet were now splintered, groaning as I plucked a few out with my nails, before tugging my socks back on. I was knelt over tying my boots up when I heard the voice behind me, growling in annoyance as I finally pulled the knife from my waistband.

“Back off, Tom!” I hissed, flicking the blade open.

“You know, that wasn’t very nice, Allegra,” he said, the side of his face having already decided to swell up a bit from the punch to the face.

“I said, back off!”

He merely smirked as he stepped forward, his buddy going around the other side.

“You too, Spike Head!”

They both ignored me though as I stood there, my back going slightly ridged. This is why I hated men, they thought that they could have anything that they wanted, consequences be damned.

“You know, you really are a pretty little thing,” Tom grinned, looking through his good eye.

I didn’t realize the look that he’d sent over my shoulder until it was too late, a pair of arms grabbing me tightly. Spikey Head had grasped my wrists tightly, pulling them behind my back. His laughter hit my ears as he moved his mouth next to my head, resting his chin on my shoulder.

“What do you think, Jimbo?” Tom asked.

Jimbo-Spike merely grinned, before pressing his nose into the side of my neck and inhaling deeply.

“She smells good,” he laughed, before running his tongue over my skin.

I gasped in disgust as I struggled, making him back up into one of the bikes behind us.

“Get the fuck off of me!” I screamed, tossing my head back with a resounding crack.

The second my skull made contact I knew that I’d broken the prick’s nose, quickly backing away only to back into something hard. I nearly jumped as I felt a pair of hands gently place themselves on my shoulders, the skin clothed in leather, save for the fingertips that managed to lightly dig into my shirt.

“Now, what do we have here?”

At the sound of the voice, I watched Tom and Jimbo’s eyes narrow in irritation.

“What are you guys doing here?” Jimbo asked.

“Yeah, this is our turf and our girl!” Tom hissed.

Hearing his words, I made to move forward to hit him, but the hands kept me in place.

“Not so fast, sweetheart,” I heard the man behind me chuckle lightly, his breath reaching out and caressing the side of my neck.

I felt of shiver run down my spine at the sound of his voice, taking a moment to glance behind me. I realized after that, that there was a group of four guys standing there, three blonde and one brunette. They were all equally handsome if I had to admit it. I noticed the one directly behind me the most though, his mainly short platinum hair sporting what would technically be a mullet. It wasn’t his hair that really caught my attention though, but his eyes. His pale baby blues seemed to shine in the lamplight above us, a spark of mischief swimming inside of them.

“Funny,” he chuckled, allowing his arms to hang over my shoulders, his chin coming to rest on the top of my head. “I don’t see your name on her.”

I stood still as I drew in a breath, closing my eyes. I could feel the faint warmth radiating from this man’s body, letting it soak into my back. His voice was smooth as he spoke, almost hypnotic in a way.

“You guys better split before trouble hits,” Tom narrowed, trying to threaten him.

I heard the group behind me laugh.

“Trouble? Ha! He said trouble!” one of them snickered.

“Now, just hand over the girl and maybe we’ll forget that this like transgression ever happened,” Tom said, taking a step forward.

I felt myself back up slightly on instinct, only to push myself further into the stranger’s chest with a single step, a deep rumble echoing from inside of him. Within moments, he was nearly doubled over in laughter, his hand still gripping lightly at my shoulder. Then, just as quickly as it had come, he was standing straight.

“You really are funny,” he laughed, looking over his shoulder, before giving a nod and pushing me gently toward the bikes that were parked by the railing.

I kept my eyes on Tom and Jimbo as we walked slowly toward the bikes, the other three following after the man beside me without a word, save for the occasional snicker. I felt my eyes travel to the ground where I’d left my food, my knife laying a few feet away.

“Marko,” the one beside me called out, gesturing toward my bag.

Marko was the blonde with the tight curls, said boy grabbing the bag along with my knife, and tossing it to the brunette. I swallowed thickly as I watched this, hoping that my food didn’t end up wasted.

“Hey, man, you don’t ignore TomTom!” Jimbo seethed.

Before he could get close though, the dark haired man grabbed him, tossing him back into Tom without any effort. I practically gasped as I watched this, feeling my lips twitch slightly.

“Holy shit,” I whispered, taking note that the blonde stranger had saddled up onto his bike, a grin on his face.

“Care to join us, sweetheart?” he asked, holding his hand out to me.

I stared at it for a moment, before glancing at his face, my head turning back toward Tom and his little friend as they managed to push themselves up off of the ground.

“Allegra, don’t you dare,” Tom warned.

I felt a smirk pull onto my face, before turning around and grabbing the man’s hand, allowing him to help me onto the back of his bike. Two of his buddies stood in front of us, daring the pricks to come closer. I felt the blonde turn the engine over, before he guided my hands to his waist, his thumb trailing almost casually over the back of my hand.

“Marko, Paul, let’s go!”

With that, the rest of them got on their bikes.

“Suckers!” the one known as Paul cried out.

And we were off.


	2. David

**[The Lost Boys]**

**As the World Falls Down**

**Chapter 2**

**David**

It felt like I was flying, weightless in the air. I could feel the smile on my face as I buried my nose into the back of a leather jacket, my body taking a deep breath and inhaling the scent around me. Leather. Smoke. Salt water. Metal. Something a kin to the smell of a copper coin. It was strange as the wind whipped through my hair, the howling of laughter as the others sped around us, crisscrossing like deranged maniacs.

“Hold on,” the blonde told me, before I felt the bike accelerate further, sending a jolt through me.

I felt myself clinging to him for dear life as I tried to hold on, feeling every bump of every root as we sped passed trees and around curves. The only thing to describe it would be a rollercoaster. Every rollercoaster had its high though and every rollercoaster had its downfall dive.

“Don’t be scared!” he called out over the engine, gripping my hand as we flew over a creek bed, the bike groaning in an attempt to stay up right as it swerved slightly.

I was beginning to wonder if coming with these guys was a mistake. The question was answered though when we suddenly came to an abrupt halt, fingers curling into the blonde’s side. I was a little put off when they all started laughing though.

“What a rush!” Paul cried out, a grin on his face as he fell off of his bike and to the ground.

The brunette kicked him lightly in the side with his boot, before shaking his head and calling him a nut. A nut, that was putting it nicely.

“Well, sweetheart, what’d you think?” the one in front of me asked, turning around with a grin on his face.

“You guys are nuts,” I said flatly, eyeing the lot of them.

I still didn’t know who he was or really any of them for a matter of fact. The only thing that I did know was that they were obviously some kind of little gang. That and the fact that they’d come to my so called rescue.

“See boys, she gets it,” he laughed, before turning back to me with a slightly more serious look on his face. “So, you and the Surf Nazi’s, huh?” he asked, taking a moment to look me over.

I narrowed my eyes slightly as I got off of the bike, moving a couple of feet away from him.

“Okay, one, they’re nothing more than an annoyance. Two, I don’t see how that would really be any of your business since I don’t even know you,” I pointed out, looking at the lot of them.

“How rude of me,” he said, placing a hand on his chest in a playful manner. “My name is David,” he said, introducing himself.

David. _David_. Somehow, that seemed to fit him. I wasn’t really sure why, but I felt that it did.

“The big guy over there is Dwayne,” David said, hiking a thumb at the tall brunette. “Stoner over there is Paul,” he said, pointing at the one with long blonde hair that looked like it had been teased. “The runt is Marko,” he laughed, pointing toward the curlicue.

“Okay, so what exactly are you guys?” I asked. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for the help,” I assured him, crossing my arms over my chest.

“We’re just a group of guys that like to have fun, brothers. What about you? Do you like to have fun, _Allegra_?” David asked.

The way that he said my name made me pause as he gave a certain amount of definition to it, his voice slightly husky as he stared at me. Paul merely laughed, waiting for my reply. David though, he smiled at me, the edges of his face soft as he leaned back against his bike. It hadn’t even registered with me that I was alone with four strange men in the middle of who knows where.

_Alone._

As I looked at each of them, their demeanor seemed to remain the same, smiles ever present on their faces. It was strange really, the way that they seemed to wait on me.

“Depends on your definition of fun,” I finally told him, turning back to David.

I watched as a sly smile pulled onto his face, trying to push away the idea of what it would mean. I was pleasantly surprised though when I felt him place a hand on my shoulder, pulling me back toward the bike.

“Ever been to Hudson’s Bluff?”

xXx

I was at a loss for words as I stood there at the edge, listening to the waves as they crashed against the side of the cliff. I hadn’t been there in years and it was refreshing to stand at the edge, enjoying the air as it swirled around me. Even the guys didn’t seem to have a problem with it, merely smirking as they got even closer, dirt crumbling beneath them and falling into the sea.

“Doesn’t seem like the idea of the drop bothers you too much.”

I nearly jumped at the sound of David’s voice, turning around to face him.

“Not really,” I shrugged. “I used to come here as a kid tossing rocks off the side.”

He laughed when I said this, looking out at the waves. The ends of his hair fluttered around him as a breeze made it our way.

“You never did tell us why you were with those idiots,” David point out, deliberately pressing the matter from earlier.

“Look, I don’t know why you’re so interested in that,” I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Besides, we’re much more fun,” Paul laughed, tossing an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close.

After a moment, I ducked out of his grip, walking off behind him. As I said before, I didn’t really care to be touched that much. Being that _close_ was unnerving at times. I was still surprised that I even let myself be that close to David. Then again, it was either that or deal with Tom and Jimbo. The second option was far less appealing in my mind.

“Like I said, I appreciate the help and all, but they’re just a bunch of morons,” I told them. “I’ve been dealing with them for years, even before I started dating Mark.”

“Mark?” Marko asked. “Is he one of those Surf Nazi’s?”

I nearly laughed when he asked this, running a hand through my long hair. I’d probably have to get it cut soon. It was starting to get too long, which meant it was harder to take care of.

“No. No, he’s not,” I said, shaking my head. “That would be his brother Tom. The one that I decked in the face earlier.”

Thinking on that, I looked down at my hand. It was a little red still, but it didn’t hurt as bad as I thought that it would. Tom definitely had a hard head though if the redness in my hand was any indication.

“Looked like it got the job done.”

I turned at the sound of the voice, realizing that it had been Dwayne. The brunette didn’t seem like much of a talker. By the look of him though, he seemed to have a fairly calm and laid back demeanor. Granted, so far, David seemed to be a bit more laid back and care free. A little on the wild side, but still laid back.

“Yeah, well, I’ve picked up a thing or two over the years,” I told him, before turning back to David. “Look, I don’t want to be ungrateful, but can someone please take me home?” I asked, looking from one guy to the other.

I hadn’t been lying when I’d told Mark that I was tired. The damn dog next door had been keeping me up and it was taking a toll on me. It had to already be passed midnight at this point, given how late I’d gotten off, and I was going on about three days with hardly any sleep.

“Please?” I asked, pleading with him.

It seemed like he was thinking it over for a moment, looking at his boys, a certain glint in his eyes.

“Boys, why don’t you go get a bite to eat?” David suggested, holding his hand out for me.

I smiled at this, thankful that he was willing to take me home, instead of just trying to mess around. They’d gotten brownie points so far. If they kept it up, then they might be worth talking to after all of this.

xXx

It was a slow ride back, David deciding to take his time as he drove. The dull rumble of the bike allowing Allegra to relax against him. She’d explained to him how to get there, leaving him surprised at how out of the way that the place actually was. That wasn’t what really surprised him though. No, what had truly caught his attention was how she’d actually managed to fall asleep against his back, her hands having come to rest limply on his thighs. In a normal situation he would have laughed, using it to his advantage and just draining the person. He felt that things were a bit different in this case though. After all, she’d held her own against a couple of Surf Nazi’s, even managing to clip the one in the side of the face with her fist. Most women that he’d seen didn’t have the guts.

Him and the boys had noticed them a little early on though, having been up on the board walk wandering when she’d been with her so called “boyfriend”. The moron couldn’t even stand up for his own girlfriend.

Shaking his head, David scoffed, pulling up onto an old gravel drive and making his way up the hill. The sound and uneven ground seemed to pull Allegra from her sleep as she let out a groan, burying her face even further into his leather clad back, her hands finding their way back around his middle. He nearly laughed as he steered down the path, eyes trailing over the run down houses at the end. There was an old run down truck in the yard of one of them, the body rusted over with the bumper falling off. The house was a little one and a half story home. What would be the attic was a room, the window giving a partial view inside.

With his sharp eyes, he could see a couple of what would be posters, maybe a map even. That was all that he could see from his spot though, slowly pulling up and turning off the engine. To his annoyance he could hear the sound of a dog barking, narrowing his eyes at a nearby house. Allegra’s house was one of several in the small area and yet was stuck with the annoyance. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one to hear it though.

xXx

I wasn’t sure when I’d fallen asleep against him, the sound of barking pulling me from my slumber. Slowly, I peeled myself off of David’s back, my hands resting on his sides for a moment as I tried to blink away the sleep. Hearing the barking again, I felt my eyes set into a glare.

“God damn dog!” I hissed, pinching the bridge of my nose as I rested my forehead between his shoulders for a moment more. “Sorry for falling asleep,” I sighed, stumbling slightly as I climbed off of his bike.

I was actually surprised that he’d managed to find his way considering where it was at. Again, I narrowed my eyes at Tiny, the little wire haired Terrier next door. Don’t get me wrong, I like dogs, but this one was freaking annoying!

“Oh my God, Tiny, shut up!” I yelled, silencing him before he started up again, making me roll my eyes.

“What’s with the mutt?” David asked, making his way over to the fence as Tiny continued to yip.

“He belongs to the neighbors,” I told him warily. “Problem is, they never bother to bring the thing inside.”

I wasn’t sure if David even bothered to listen to what I’d said. Honestly, I didn’t really care, my fatigue slowly winning over. Still, the little ankle bitter was annoying as I preferred Shepherds in general.

“Normally, I just spray the damn thing with the hose,” I provided, making my way up onto the porch and reaching into my pocket.

I bypassed my wallet, fingering around for my keys. My brows furrowed as I searched my other one, before patting down my jacket, David watching me with curiosity. Without a word, I walked back down the stairs, moving over to the under siding of the porch. My hand brushed underneath for the spare, brows furrowing as I came back empty handed. That meant that my mother had lost her keys again and taken it.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” I growled, quickly making my way back onto the porch and up onto the wooden railing.

I could hear David laughing behind me as I balanced myself, grabbing hold of the overhead roofing and slowly pulling myself up. I felt him give me a little boost, helping me up the rest of the way. Once I made it up, I looked down at him, debating on what I wanted to do next. I was trying to decide if I wanted to invite him up, glancing over at the window that led to my room. Letting out a sigh, I threw caution to the wind.

“You wanna come up for a bit?” I asked, biting my lower lip.

I watched as a smirk made its way onto his face as he hopped up onto the railing, balancing himself with ease.

“Sure.”

Smiling, I held my hand out to him.

“Here,” I said, gesturing for him to grab a hold.

He grasped the offered appendage and within moments he was up on the awning with me, the smirk still present on his handsome face.

“I hope you don’t plan on taking advantage of me,” he said as we climbed into my room, shutting the window behind us. “You know, now that you have me all alone.”

I laughed as he said this, shaking my head.

“You wish.”

He seemed to take the joke as it was, walking around the room as I grabbed a change of clothes.

“Don’t play with anything,” I warned, walking into the bathroom.

It was something that one of my mom’s friends had been nice enough to put in for us, that way I didn’t have to go all the way downstairs just for the bathroom. When I stepped back out, I was dressed in a pair of basketball shorts and a tank top. I found David staring at a couple of pictures as I tossed my clothes in the hamper, placing my wallet on the nightstand.

“These your parents?” he asked, holding up a small wooden picture frame.

I walked over, coming to stand beside him, my eyes trailing over the frame. It was a photo of my mom and dad when I was about four years old, a smile on all of our faces. One of the neighbors down the way had taken it for us. I felt a smile make its way to my lips as I took in the sight of my dad. His hair had been dark like mine, his eyes a gorgeous blue. He had a strong face, but I’d only inherited a few of his facial features, mine coming out a lot softer than his. My mom on the other hand had a head of fiery red hair and green eyes. Between the two of them, I’d come to have dark brownish red hair and green blue eyes.

“Yeah,” I breathed out. “That was a long time ago though.”

After a moment of standing there, I turned back toward the bed, flopping down onto my back as I stared up at the wooden ceiling.

“Where are they now?” he asked, the sound of him setting the frame back down making it to my ears.

“Mom’s always out somewhere with one of her friends,” I sighed. “She likes to indulge.”

I heard him laugh at the comment.

“What about your dad?” he asked, sitting down beside me on the bed, the mattress bouncing slightly from the weight as he leaned back on his hands.

“Don’t know,” I shrugged. “Haven’t seen him since I was five.”

After that, things seemed to go quiet for a while, sleep slowly clawing at my brain. I could feel my eyes drooping as my breathing evened out. My body began to grow heavy and relax as my head slowly fell to the side toward David. I could faintly hear Tiny barking outside, my brow creasing. Dumb dog. Small, dumb dog.

“Stupid…mutt,” I muttered, letting out a breath of air as my mind began to fog over.

“Get some sleep princess,” I heard David whisper, feeling myself being turned and covered.

“David…” I whispered, forcing my eyes back open a hair.

“Shh…” he smiled, pressing a finger to my lips. “Just sleep. We’ll meet again.”

With that, I was lost to the world, the weight of the bed gone and the gentle caress of sleep lulling me into darkness.


	3. Taking Out the Trash

**[The Lost Boys]**

**As the World Falls Down**

**Chapter 3**

**Taking Out the Trash**

Thu-thump. Thu-thump. Thu-thump.

I could feel my heart beat pulsing dully in my ears.

Thu-thump. Thu-thump. Thu-thump.

It was normal, the rhythm calm yet strong. It pumped blood through my veins with ease. The thrum of the beat nearly dragging me back into sleep. The idea of being able to do just that was so tempting, light slowly ebbing through my lids. I’d have to invest in curtains.

As I laid there, my thoughts went back to the events of last night, the darkness swirling around me as I allowed my head to turn toward the wall. Tom. Mark’s brother Tom had tried following me. Mark no doubt did nothing at all to dissuade his brother. The idiot felt that said brother could do no wrong. What a naïve misconception on his part.

Then there was David. David and his so called brothers had come to my aid without hesitation. Handsome blonde and blue-eyed man. I’d never expected anyone like them to come to my aid. I knew that his gang was present in Santa Carla, but vaguely, the four of them going by the name Lost Boys, since no one knew exactly where they’d come from. Although, it didn’t really matter where they came from, as that didn’t make them who they were as individuals. Still though, they seemed like an unlikely group of individuals, the four of them seeming to go together so well.

I turned my head for a moment, groaning as my brows scrunched together in confusion. I could have sworn that I heard something, slowly pushing myself up into a sitting position and rubbing my eyes. The heel of my hand was buried in my eye when I heard it again, a low thump from downstairs.

“What the…?” I muttered, pushing myself out of bed.

A shiver went through me as my feet made contact with the cool panels of the polished oak floor, toes curling slightly. Slowly, I made my way downstairs, tying the string off for the ladder so I wouldn’t have to pull it back down. Once I was close enough, I realized that it was the front door that I was hearing the noise.

“Great,” I muttered, looking over at the clock on the wall and realizing that it was about quarter till nine.

“Allegra, you there?”

“Oh, son of a…!”

Quickly, I wrenched the door open, a glare set on my face as I found Mark standing in front of me. I would have laughed as he flinched away, but I was too pissed. Grabbing him by the front of his shirt I jerked him inside, watching as he nearly fell from the momentum.

“I have half a mind to throttle you!” I growled out, shoving a finger in his face.

Mark backed up a bit, hands held defensively in front of him.

“Hey, now, ease up!” he exclaimed.

“Ease up? Ease up!?” I cried, shoving him. “Are you stupid!?”

He flinched away slightly, lip held between his teeth.

“Do you have any idea what that moron of a brother of yours tried to do to me!?” I yelled, face burning red in anger.

“Come on, Allegra. Tom would never hurt you, you know that.”

I nearly slapped him when he said that. How could he possibly be that stupid? I mean seriously. Did he have a mental disorder or something?

“Yeah, well he could have fooled me.”

“Allegra…”

“Don’t touch me!” I hissed, moving back when he tried to place a hand on my arm.

“But…”

“No!” I said firmly. “You lost that privilege when you let him go after me.”

“But he didn’t do anything!” he groaned, running a hand through his hair.

“You know what? Get out!”

The look on his face was one of shock, but I didn’t care. If he was dumb enough to believe his brother was innocent, then he had another thing coming to him.

“But Allegra,” he tried.

“No,” I said shaking my head. “Because of you, someone else had to step in.”

“Wait. What?” he asked. “Who?”

The tone of his voice irritated me even more. He was jealous, that much was obvious. Personally, I didn’t feel he had the right to be jealous, since he didn’t bother to stand up for me when it came to his brother.

“You know that little group of bikers that rolling in a while back?” I asked, trying to hide back a tiny smirk as I went to rub it into his face.

I watched as his eyes narrowed in apprehension. He was putting things together in that tiny little brain of his.

“You didn’t,” he narrowed.

“And one of them was even nice enough to give me a lift home after we went for a ride out to the bluff,” I pushed, enjoying the way that I was able to rile him up.

Slowly, I watched as his face started to go red, causing me to hold in a laugh. I was enjoying this a little too much now. Thinking back on that, I opened the door, gesturing with my finger that it was time to leave. I had to eat, take a shower, and get dressed for work.

“Now, if you don’t mind, Mark, I think you should leave.”

“Fine,” he ground out, turning, before fully leaving. “We’ll talk about this later.”

I nearly laughed when he said this, slamming the door in his face.

“Idiot,” I muttered.

xXx

It’d been two days now since I’d heard anything from Mark and I was enjoying every minute of it. He really had pissed me off, making me wonder why I’d even tolerated him as long as I had. I mean, we really didn’t even have that much in common. Hell, I think the only reason he even wanted me was so that he could try and get into my pants and use me as a trophy to show off to his brother. The thought itself made me cringe. His brother was the same way showing no respect for the opposite sex.

Shaking my head, I continued wiping down tables, trying to push the thoughts out of my mind as Hold Me Now by Thompson Twins played through the space. Deciding that the tables were clean enough, I moved to the trash, consolidating the cans and bringing it out back to where the dumpster was. The sun had already gone down at this point, the overhead lights shining down on me. I nearly groaned when I tossed the first bit in, the stench of rotten eggs hitting me. The idiots had left some stuff in the back of the fridge that they finally decided to pitch. Unfortunately, I was the one stuck getting rid of it, along with a round of spent onions.

I could feel my nose burn as I turned away, coughing a bit in disgust when the fumes hit.

“God this stuff smells,” I groaned, grabbing another load and tossing it.

They always had me doing the dirty stuff. Going back inside I grabbed another two bags, hauling them outside, the music following me as I went. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt hands wrap around me, the trash falling to the ground and scattering.

“Hey there, Chica.”

“Son of a…”

Whirling around, I sent my fist flying, my knuckles colliding with the side of his face. Paul was sent crashing to the ground, hand holding the side of his face.

“Damn, Chica,” he laughed. “You really do pack a punch.”

“You moron!” I cried out. “You scared the shit out of me!”

I nearly kicked him, only to be picked up from behind by someone else, laughter echoing around me.

“Come on, Princess, he didn’t mean any harm.”

I kicked out, elbow flying back only to end up colliding with the side of their head. The laughter seemed to stop almost instantly, making me freeze.

“Shit,” I breathed out, realizing that it was David that I’d hit.

Why did it have to be David? The one that had actually helped me? I almost didn’t want to turn my head, afraid that he’d drop me on my ass.

“David?” I called out hesitantly, slowly glancing over my shoulder.

Behind me, David stood, head cocked to the side. His cheek was slightly red from impact, eyes betraying nothing. I swallowed the lump in my throat as he turned his head back, expecting him to be pissed. Shockingly, a smirk formed on his face, eyes gleaming with mischief. For a moment, I was almost afraid. My fear quickly diminished when I realized the hinting of a smile on his face, his somewhat laid back demeanor from the other day returning. I let out a sigh of relief, his fingers tightening slightly upon my waist as he gently lowered me to the ground.

“Remind me not to piss you off,” he practically purred into my ear, a shiver running down my spine at the warmth of his breath against my skin.

After a moment, I pulled away, though a bit reluctantly. Turning, I looked back at him. He looked the same as he had the other night, the same black trench coat, black pants, leather boots, and shirt. His platinum looks were spiked as before and his cool ice blue eyes gleamed with a hint of wild unadulterated mystery. The only difference was the hint of pale stubble on his face.

“What are you guys doing here anyway?” I asked, looking around at the group.

“We thought we’d pay you a visit,” came Marko’s answer, a grin on his child like face as he folded his arms over his chest.

“Pay me a visit, huh?” I asked skeptically. “You mean cause trouble.”

I then turned to Paul, grabbing him firmly by the ear.

“And you,” I started, pulling him over. “You’re going to clean up this mess,” I said pointedly, giving his ear a harsh tug.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!” he whined, back bent as he tried to stay level with my arm. “Marko! Dwayne! Help!?” he cried out, his plea being met with laughter. “Come on, guys?” he whined as I gave it another tug.

“You got yourself into the mess all on your own,” Marko laughed, grinning like a fool.

“Seriously though, why are you guys here?” I asked again, finally letting go of Paul’s ear, leaving him to cradle the appendage.

“Like we said, we wanted to pay you a visit,” David said, not willing to change his answer.

I eyed the blonde critically for a moment, glancing at the others. They didn’t seem as though they were willing to say anything outside of David’s response.

“Alright, so we wanted to make sure that those Surfer shits weren’t bothering you,” he finally admitted, caving.

I scoffed as I shook my head, taking the last bag of trash and tossing it in the dumpster.

“Thanks for the concern, but I can handle myself,” I told him, easily making my way around him and back inside.

I could sense them following me, all, but Paul as David told him to clean up the spilt trash.

“Hey, think we can get a drink?” Marko asked, hopping up onto one of the bar stools.

I looked at him skeptically, giving him a good once over.

“Are you even 18?” I asked, knowing that the only ones that might be 21 would be either David or Dwayne.

David seemed like he’d be the oldest in my opinion, but I’d been wrong about things before. It was still a toss up between him and Dwayne though. Honestly, I think that Marko was the youngest, leaving Paul just a bit older. David looked slightly more aged than Dwayne though, pushing me in my belief that he was in fact the oldest.

“Sure I am,” Marko grinned.

“Yeah, no,” I said, shaking my head. “You can stick to club soda bud.”

I then turned to the rest of them eyeing them carefully.

“Anyone else wanna try?” I offered, daring them to make an attempt.

I looked to each of them as I wiped down some of the glasses on the counter, watching as they seemed to glance around from one to the other. It was like they were having a silent conversation among themselves, unwilling to let anyone else be privy to it. Turning my back, I left them to their “conversation”, putting different glasses away where they belong. Marko was over by the sound system against the wall, pressing different buttons as he flipped through songs. The place closed a little early, but it didn’t bother me any. It was normally when we had to take stock and restock that truly took time out of my day.

“We’re closed,” I called out over my shoulder as I heard someone come through the front entrance, the bell chiming after them.

When I didn’t hear a reply, I turned back around. I was met with the unsightly pleasure of seeing Mark standing there, his brother in toe.

“I said, we’re closed,” I told them dismissively.

I didn’t want to deal with them. The two were morons.

“Aw, come on,” the two of them whined, both stumbling forward.

Great, they were both drunk. Morons! Did I mention morons? Oh, yeah, I did.

“I’m not going to tell you again you two. We are closed, which means you _both_ need to leave.”

“But why are they here?” Mark whined, pointing childishly over at David and the boys, Paul finally walking back in from cleaning up his mess.

“We’re taking the trash out,” Dwayne decided to pipe up, the Native looking from David to Paul in anticipation.

“That’s right,” David said, a pleasant looking smile on his face as he stepped forward, Dwayne and Paul following by example as Marko stayed by me. “In fact, I think we missed a round boys. What do you think?”

Before either Mark or Tom could say a word, David and Dwayne had stepped forward, grabbing them by the collar of their shirts. I watched in shock as they were dragged out back, Marko and I quickly moving outside. We watched as the two drunken idiots flailed around helplessly, Paul tossing open the lid to the dumpster. Once it was open, Mark and his brother were sent flying. I nearly stood dumbstruck, watching as the two disappeared with a crash.

“Well,” Paul started, dropping the lid on their heads. “Looks like the trash has been taken out.”

He had a goofy grin plastered on his face as he walked back over. Without even asking, he tossed his arm over my shoulders, my head being pulled tightly against him. Narrowing my eyes, I shoved him, only to be tossed into David, the latter of the two wrapping their arms loosely around me. The place exploded with laughter after everything kicked in, smiles on everyone’s face. I doubled over as I thought about Mark. The look on his face when he realizes where he’d been thrown. Somehow, they really had made me smile, all four of them grinning like mad men. I was at a loose as I stood there, slowly leaning backwards. I could feel my shoulders pressed against David’s chest and I drew in a breath of air, slowly allowing myself to relax as I was reminded they meant me no harm.

“So, who’s hungry?” Paul asked.

T

I’m not really sure how it happened. Somehow, the boys had convinced me to leave with them after closing up, going and getting food from the local Chinese restaurant. Instead of the back of David’s bike, I’d ended up with Dwayne this time, a faint blush on my face as I’d been able to feel practically every muscle on his abdominals. He really was a handsome guy. All of them were in their own way. Dwayne though had a special air about him, his quiet demeanor being quite endearing. Paul had found it funny though, picking at David for something or other as we rode. I was almost surprised though as they wove in and out of trees, snaking in front of one another and cutting each other off. It was like a street race with these bikes, but no rules as copious amounts of dirt were kicked up into our faces. I had to bury my face into Dwayne’s back to keep from getting sand in my eyes, a groan escaping my throat as I was once again aware of Dwayne’s warmth.

“Hold on.”

I barely had enough time to grab a hold of him as we went soaring over a hill, squealing when the bike landed, skidding slightly. I felt my nose slam against the place between his shoulders from the force, wincing painfully at the cartilage. It was like running into a rock.

“Sorry,” he called over his shoulder, his grip tightening on the handles slightly, deciding to lower the speed a bit.

I was silently grateful as we slowed down, not having to worry as much about having the wind knocked out of me. Dwayne seemed to understand then, hanging back a bit. When the others realized our absence, they finally slowed down. Their bikes joined us as we road down the rest of the strip to the rocks, a look of mild shock on my face. Where we had stopped was off limits due to safety reasons, but I found that it didn’t surprise me as much.

“This is it,” David exclaimed, hands out as he gestured to the edge of the walkway.

I was hesitant as I watched Marko and Paul jump down onto the rocks, sliding a bit as they went.

“I don’t know about this,” I said hesitantly, eyeing the remaining two as the others called out for us to join them.

As if sensing my dilemma, David turned toward me, a smug look upon his face.

“Problem?” he asked, causing my eyes to narrow slightly.

No shit there was a problem. The problem was my sense of self preservation with this place. Looking back down, I stared at the jagged rocks below me, the scene staring back with a discernable amount of malicious glee. I found myself staring back at David in irritation, a grin on his face as he stepped toward the edge.

“All you have to do is jump,” he told me, before stepping off the edge.

Dwayne joined him after, sending me a wink before he jumped.

“You guys are morons!” I yelled out, hands on my hips as I looked down at them.

“Come on, jump!” Paul called out.

Glancing around, I tried to see if there was another way down. It wasn’t that I was chicken per say, but more along the lines that I didn’t want to hurt myself. Biting my lip, I looked down at them again, David and Dwayne standing there. They watched as I paced back and forth for a moment, looks of humor on their faces.

“Join us, Allegra!” David called out, a spark in his eyes. “Jump!”

The suggestion was strong, the look on his face drawing me toward the edge. I stood there, our eyes locking with one another as I drew in a breath. Then, slowly, I let it out and jumped.

“I knew you could do it,” David’s voice breathed into my ear, my arms around his neck.

When I’d jumped, I’d closed my eyes and hoped for the best, praying that he’d be nice enough to catch me. Luckily, I’d been right when I felt his arms wrap around me. If it weren’t for these arms, I was almost curtain that I might have broken my ankle or something.

“Awesome, Chica!” Paul exclaimed, laughing as he pulled me away from David and tossed me over his shoulder.

The others laughed as a scowl formed on my face, smacking him in the back.

“Put me down you lunatic!” I yelled, pounding on his back.

It only seemed to make him laugh further as he jumped around, making his way down the path of rocks. The others were doing the same, their expressions carefree as they went. Seeing this, I rolled my eyes.

“Do you ever listen?” I asked, trying to push myself up a bit.

“Nope,” he said, popping the ‘p’, much to my irritation. “Besides, where’s the fun in that?”

“Would you put me down, you moron!?” I yelled, continuing my assault on his back. “I can walk you know!”

Paul continued to laugh, ignoring my little outburst as he gave me a firm smack on the ass, my face going red in indignation. I swear, if he kept it up, he was going to get a swift kick in the gonads.

As we got further, I realized where they were taking me. Among the rocks and waves of the sea was an opening. I realized that it led into an actual cave instead of what I would have assumed to be a mere alcove among the rocks. Strangely enough, it seemed like parts of the walls were actually cement and drywall-what was left of it-leaving areas of dirt covering the ground. Sensing my curiosity, David turned toward us as Paul put me down, my eyes wandering from the walls to the floor.

xXx

David felt his lips twitch as he watched her pace back and forth. He could tell she was trying to come up with a different way to get down to them without having to jump. After all, the rocks down at the bottom were sharp, so he couldn’t blame her for being a bit apprehensive. Besides, she was human. He almost laughed as he was reminded of that fact. For a human woman, she had spunk. It was that very trait that had grabbed his attention when he’d seen her just a few days ago, something sparking inside of him.

“Join us, Allegra!” he called out, locking eyes with her. “Jump!”

He took the time to try and reach out with his mind, trying to push her closer into jumping. He wanted her to trust him enough to take that leap of faith. He wanted her to have the courage to join them and not regret it.

_You can do it. Jump._

The air from the sea whipped around her as she fell, her hair flowing freely around her. Her eyes were closed when they finally met and David found himself smiling with pride as the warmth of her human body clung to his usually cool one.

“I knew you could do it,” he murmured, his breath brushing the flesh of her ear as she held onto him.

Good grief was she warm, the heat sending a wave of electricity through his body. As a vampire, he was unaccustomed to this, having been dead for so many years. The simple pleasure of her touch nearly made him yearn for the life that he’d left behind. Not that he’d had a choice in it by any means, but that fact didn’t really matter anymore as there was nothing that he could do about it. He could on the other hand still enjoy the feel of her hands on his neck as she held onto him, her eyes slowly sliding open as she realized that she was still in one piece. Her eyes told him thank you, no words being spoken. They didn’t need to be.

“Awesome, Chica!” came the sound of Paul’s voice pulling him from his thoughts just long enough for her to be ripped from his arms.

David narrowed his gaze slightly as Paul tossed her over his shoulder, a scowl forming as Marko and Dwayne laughed. He didn’t find it as funny as they did, but after a moment, he felt his mouth twitch up slightly. She really was a spit fire and very vocal about her likes and dislikes. Apparently, being picked up by Paul in the manner of what he’d done wasn’t exactly one of her favorites. In return, she began beating against his back, yelling for him to put her down.

David and the other watched as Allegra’s eye went wide, face red in mortification as Paul slapped her ass for hitting him so many times. When David saw this, he felt a small tug inside of him, a small wave of irritation rolling over him. He tried to ignore it though as they made their way to the cave, Paul finally deciding to put her down once they’d made it inside.

Once inside, they all separated, going to their separate areas while Allegra’s eyes wandered around her. What was left of the hotel had peaked her interest. Seeing this, David felt that it was his duty to introduce her to the history of their home.

xXx

I was at a loss for words as I drank in the room around me. There were a few trash cans around that Dwayne had lit on fire so that we wouldn’t be fully covered in the dark, the light from the flame bouncing off the walls. It was like the flames were dancing among the shadows, strands of light flickering in and out around me. It was almost ethereal in nature and made me smile.

Feeling some one behind me, I turned around, finding David’s awaiting form. His face was somewhat relaxed now that we were here.

“Not too bad, huh?” he asked, looking around for a moment as I followed his gaze.

There was a fountain in the center of the room, an old chandelier resting inside the space. It was somewhat broken but still made useful by the candles sitting in their holders and lit. It provided an odd sense of comfort, along with a certain measure of normalcy.

“About 85 years ago, this was the hottest resort around,” David told me, placing a hand on the small of my back as he led me around. “Too bad, they built the place on a fault.”

It clicked in my mind then to what he was getting at. The area had likely slide right into place when the earthquake hit and had been lost to the public.

“In 1906, when the big one hit San Francisco, the ground opened up,” he said, making gestures with his hand. “Place took a header.”

Paul clasped his hands roughly together by my ear and I jumped, clinging to David momentarily as the latter of the two chuckled.

“Right into the crack it went,” he grinned, looking down where my hands were wrapped around his arm. “Now the place is ours.”

Honestly, I was surprised by his knowledge of this place, making me wonder how much of the area was still intact. It was obvious though that they’d been living here for a while making me wonder how long they’d actually been around. Could it be that they’d been here all along and just now started making trouble with the other gangs? Or had they just been quick about moving in? David seemed just a little too familiar with the area to be anywhere near recent though. He must have been here for a while.

“Obviously, this isn’t your first rodeo through here,” I said, letting go of his arm as I walked around.

“That’s right,” he nodded, following me with his eyes.

I had folded my hands behind my back as I took in some of the posters of the walls. I could see where Paul took his hair style form. There was also a rather large red tool cabinet against the wall, something that you’d normally see in an auto body shop. This led me to believe that they did all of their own repairs, giving them a rather decent knowledge of mechanics. From what I could remember, my father had worked on bikes and cars, but that was a long time ago.

“How long have you guys been here then?” I asked, turning around so that I could face David properly.

He merely shrugged his shoulders, brushing the question off for the most part.

“We come and go as we please,” he said, slowly striding toward me. “We get bored, we move on,” was his simple reply. “What about you?”

“What about me?” I asked, quirking a brow in question.

“Ever get bored?” he asked, stepping in front of me.

“Ever feel like runnin’ off somewhere?” Paul asked, taking a place behind me.

“Maybe do something crazy?” Marko added.

“Change of pace,” Dwayne spoke up.

I was confused by their words, becoming slightly uncomfortable. Of course, I got bored. Of course, I wanted to do something out of the ordinary every now and then. What did that have to do with anything though? I mean seriously.

“Your point?” I asked, ducking around Paul and passed Dwayne.

I paused at a couch, taking a seat. Leaning back, I let out a sigh, allowing my body to sink into the material. I closed my eyes, only to peel one open again as I felt the space beside me sink down due to a change in weight. I was a little surprised when I found it to be Dwayne, the Native giving me a small smile. It was one that I returned, closing my eyes again as I listened to the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks outside.

I could hear the sound of the other three moving around, Dwayne reclining beside me as he let his muscles relax. I was trying to do the same, the soreness in my feet finally starting to set in from my long day of work. Even though I’d agreed to hang out with them, I still wanted to curl up and fall asleep. Oddly enough, I’d slept decently, Tiny no longer barking at all hours of the night. It made me wonder if something had happened to him. Perhaps a vulture had come around and grabbed the little guy or something.

“I think it’s time for food,” David finally said. “Marko?”

With that, Marko went and fetched the food that had been picked up earlier. At the mere mention of food, I could feel my stomach growl. My face went slightly red when I found Dwayne grinning at me.

“Heads up!”

I barely had time to react as a box was tossed my way, almost hitting me in the face, my fingers being jammed against the box upon catching it.

“Thanks for the warning!” I said irritably, rolling my eyes when a set of chopsticks was tossed onto my lap after.

Now, if only the box of food could have been delivered in the same manner.

“Marko, manners,” David chided, taking a seat in a wheel chair.

I gave David a nod in thanks, carefully opening my box of food. I grimaced when I saw what it was.

“Something wrong?” David asked, taking a bite of thick Chow Mein noodles and swallowing.

“I don’t do Sesame Chicken,” I said quietly, closing the box back up with a sigh.

Looking around, I realized that the rest of the guys had stopped eating.

“What?” I asked. “I can’t stand Sesame.”

I heard Paul and Marko laugh, while David gave me a curious look. Obviously, they thought that I’d eat anything they gave me. Dwayne on the other hand merely reached over and took the box from my hands, before replacing it with his own. Looking down, I found that it was a container of Mei Fun rice noodles with some Mongolian Beef mixed into it. Slowly, I felt myself smile, stomach growling again.

“Thanks.”

Dwayne gave a nod of his head, before digging into the Sesame Chicken without a second thought, the others following suit and stuffing their faces with food. It was odd though as I began to eat, slowly chewing on my food. I found them staring at me, a feeling of awkwardness rolling over me. Did I have something on my face? My shirt perhaps?

Clearing my throat, I managed to disrupt their attention, causing them to look away. David still kept glancing over at me in the silence, ever the watchful individual. It made me wonder how attentive he really was. How all of them were actually.

David gestured Marko over, whispering something to him that I couldn’t quite hear. It was a little off putting if I had to be honest, but I ignored it, continuing to eat my food and fill the hunger inside of me.

Discreetly, I watched as Marko walked away, disappearing into a different room. It took a couple of minutes until he reappeared. He held in his hands what looked to be a bottle of sorts. A wine bottle maybe? The bottle was covered in the light of the fire. Once he was close enough, Marko handed the bottle over to David, the former returning to his seat to eat his food. David on the other hand popped the cork, inhaling the would be aroma, before bringing it to his lips. I watched as he took a deep pull from it, a shudder running through him while he had his eyes closed. Was it the taste that caused it? Maybe it was just strong. I was caught off guard when he held it out toward me though with what seemed like baited breath.

“Wine?” he offered.

I hesitated, biting the inside edge of my lip. I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to drink right now. After all, I still didn’t really know them very well. For all I knew, it could have been spiked with something. Then again, David had drunk from it.

“It’s just wine,” David assured me, shaking the bottle lightly by the neck and causing the reddish liquid inside to swish around.

“I don’t know,” I breathed out, scratching the back of my neck.

“Come on, Allegra, join us,” Paul called, a grin on his face as he sat on the tips of his toes.

“No, I can’t,” I said, finally making up my mind. “I have to work in the morning.”

xXx

David had to grit his teeth when Paul opened his mouth. He could tell that she was debating on accepting the offered “wine”. She’d backed out though completely when Paul decided to open his mouth though, making David want to hit him over the head with the very bottle that he held in his hand.

“Maybe just a sip?” David offered, giving her what she would take to be a friendly smile.

“Look, it’s not that I wouldn’t enjoy a good drink, but I’d rather try it when I actually have time to enjoy it,” Allegra managed to speak up, drawing David’s attention back toward her. “Maybe one of these times when I don’t have to worry about work?” she offered, giving him a smile.

Not having much else to use to convince her, David nodded his head, giving her a look of understanding.

“Of course,” he said, giving a bow of the head out of courtesy.

He was still irritated with Paul, but at least she wasn’t completely turning the drink away. The annoying part was that he’d have to bide his time even further now and he didn’t always like waiting. In fact, there was something about her that made him want to wait even less. He didn’t know why, but he felt that it was likely due to the fact that he was tired of being alone. After all, he could only deal with his brothers so much. A female presence might make a difference.

xXx

The rest of the night had gone by rather uneventfully. It’d mainly been talk about random things, the boys asking me questions every now and then. David had pretty much let them have free reign, allowing them to ask whatever they wanted. Luckily, they mainly stuck to questions about music and my work. The incident with Mark and his brother was even brought up and we all laughed. In the end though, I ended up on the back of David’s bike with him giving me a ride home. This time though, I didn’t fall asleep, enjoying the journey home as he took his time. It allowed me to rest my head on his shoulder, a smile on my face as the wind whipped around, sending the wisps of hair at the back of his neck against my forehead.

I hadn’t noticed how soft his hair was until it managed to brush my cheek. It made me want to laugh. I would have thought it to be rougher, courser, but it wasn’t. It was soft and silky, almost making me want to run my hands through it. Instead, I traded it for wedging my hands against the inside of his coat, the material of his shirt caressing my skin.

This was how we rode for a while, his muscles relaxed against me with the occasional twitch of his abdomen. It was nice. It was really nice actually and as we finally pulled up to the house I once again found myself disappointed.

“Home, sweet home,” David announced, placing the stand on his bike down.

For a moment, I didn’t move. I didn’t want to be pulled away and I didn’t want to go inside. When I didn’t let go, he seemed to notice, raising a hand and placing it on my own. I tensed slightly, afraid that he’d pry my hands off, but he didn’t. Instead, he let out a breath of air and leaned back slightly.

To say that I was relieved was an understatement. I never felt that I was truly wanted around other guys or most people in general actually. Normally, my mother didn’t even want to be around me, too busy getting her next fix. At least David, he didn’t push me away. Neither did his brothers. In fact, they seemed to welcome me which was a nice change of pace.

Closing my eyes, I lowered my head back against him, enjoying the male contact for once in my life.

“Eventually, you’re going to have to let go,” he chuckled quietly, chest vibrating.

“I don’t wanna,” I said childishly.

He snorted slightly in jest, laughing again as he thought I was joking. Slowly, I pulled away though, my hands retreating from the inside of his coat. Once I was off, I looked toward the house, rubbing my arms despite my jacket.

“David?”

He turned toward me as I called his name.

“I wanted to thank you for earlier,” I told him, watching as a look of confusion formed on his face. “I had a nice time with you guys.”

He nodded his head in response, standing against his bike. He’d crossed his arms over his chest lightly as I continued.

“I didn’t want you to think that I didn’t after the offer for a drink.”

He tensed slightly when I brought it up, just as I thought he would.

“I know that you were just trying to get me to relax and unwind, but I don’t drink very often,” I explained. “I normally have enough to worry about between work and my mom.”

“I understand.”

“No, you don’t,” I said firmly, stepping back toward him until we were about a foot apart, placing a hand on his arm. “I really did have a good time though.”

With that, I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his cheek. He went stock still at the contact, but didn’t push me away. When I pulled back, I realized the somber look on his face. It left me confused, making me wonder if I had done something wrong with my actions. The look on his face disappeared after a moment though and his eyes softened slightly. I felt his hand on the back of my neck, his thumb running over my pulse.

“You should get some sleep,” he told me quietly. “It’s late.”

Nodding my head, I turned to leave, but found his hand gripping my arm. I turned back in confusion, scanning his blue eyes with my own.

“Good night, Allegra,” he said softly.

“Good night, David,” I replied with a smile. “I’ll see you later.”

With that, I headed inside, the sound of his bike riding away finding me moments later.

“Thank you, David.”


	4. Family?

**[The Lost Boys]**

**As the World Falls Down**

**Chapter 4**

**Family?**

It was quiet, barely any light in front of me. I didn’t really know where I was at. I wasn’t even sure if anyone else was even here. As I stood there, I felt a cold chill run through me. The air around me seemed to freeze, the hair on my arms standing on end, my breath coming out in clouds of icy mist. It was freezing.

“Why is it so damn cold?”

Looking down, I realized that my jacket was missing, the length of my arms bare. Slowly, my eyes trailed to the rest of me, the flat of my stomach staring back at me, along with a pair of creamy white legs. My entire body was bare, not a shred of clothing to protect me from the chill in the air. It was as if I’d been submerged in a sea of ice, colors swirling around me. Shapes were slow to form and sound melded with blotchy figures.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

The statement that met my ears seemed to echo around me, the effect almost haunting in nature. It was a voice that I found familiar, but I couldn’t quite manage to place for some reason. It wasn’t like I hadn’t heard it before. It was a voice that I’d grown accustomed to in fact. It was also one that was normally full of strength and wit. This one though seemed cold, unforgiving in a way.

“Where are you?” I called out, walking forward into a rain of colors, the shapes that had previously formed bursting into particles of glimmering bits.

After a moment, they solidified behind me in solid form, confusing me. Slowly, I turned my head, my voice becoming caught in my throat as I turned myself around. Needless to say, the blue eyes that I found staring back at me had caught me off guard, but they were also filled with confusion.

“What…” I started, confusion forming on my own face as I got an eye full of the person in front of me.

I was about to call out their name, the sound on the tip of my tongue, until I felt the air around me burst into an explosion of warmth.

“Wake up,” he told me, before disappearing into nothingness. “You don’t belong here.”

xXx

I found myself gasping for air as I bolted up, eyes wide in shock as I felt sweat at the back of my neck. My front was soaked, chest heaving up and down, merely adding to the confusion that I was feeling.

“Ugh.”

Moments later, I found myself rushing to the bathroom as I emptied my stomach into the toilet with a sickening sound. My insides screamed as I gagged, coughing from the putrid taste in the back of my mouth. I’d never woken up like that before. It was like my body rebelled in a state of shock.

“Honey?” I heard my mom call out, footsteps reverberating off the wooden stairs below my room. “Are you okay up there?” she called up, no doubt standing below the ladder that led up to my room.

“Fine, Mom!” I managed to choke out, hanging my head.

I drew in a breath as I made a clumsy reach for the handle, flushing what was in the porcelain bowl. The smell made my nose scrunch up as I pulled myself up by the rim of the sink, a wave of nausea flooding me. A head of disheveled hair and pale skin stared back at me as I looked in the mirror. Narrowing my eyes, I splashed a hand full of freezing water into my face. The water bit at my skin for a moment, fighting back the heat that licked beneath my flesh. Despite the sting, it was a welcomed relief.

Running a hand through my hair, I walked back into my room. I was shocked when I realized how late it was. It was about quarter after one and I hadn’t even stayed out last night. Normally, if I felt like sleeping in that late, then it was because of David and his brothers or some shit with my mom.

“David…” I breathed out, thinking back to my dream.

It’d been about a week since I’d seen any of them and a month since they’d initially showed me their ‘home’. I still remember how surprised I’d been when they’d pulled me inside. I didn’t have any clue what the place truly was until they’d showed me. In fact, I’d found myself doing a little research on the place afterward, going to the library and reading through various articles from back at the start of the century.

As David had said, it’d been a thriving resort, drawing tourists in from all over the place. It had been Santa Carla’s biggest money maker. In fact, back then, it was the main reason that people came to Santa Carla and the surrounding area. The entire area had been bustling with people, more so than it was now. Back then, it was definitely a lot safer. All that was changed though when the earthquake hit. The articles said that it was a 7.8, the force of it destroying nearly everything in its wake due to the architecture at the time. If the quake hadn’t been enough destruction, then the fires that followed had finished the job.

Thanks to David, I now knew more than I ever wanted to. The pictures I’d found had been disturbing and out right unsettling from the casualties. Pictures of women and children had filled the pages, bodies crushed by concrete and steel beams from where the buildings had been torn apart. It made me feel bad for anyone that had been in the area back then.

“You’re going to be late!” my mom yelled from downstairs.

“I’m working on it!”

God, she could be frustrating some times. Heck, I was surprised that she was even home. I figured she’d still be out somewhere, likely flying higher than a kite.

xXx

As the day went on, I began to realize more and more just how badly my body felt. I’d gone from a disconcerting hot chill this morning to a nauseating headache. A headache I could have dealt with, but this was borderline migraine in my books, the muscles in the back of my neck constricting painfully. At first, I’d thought that maybe it had been something that I had eaten the previous night, food poisoning perhaps. Problem was, I likely would have felt it shortly after eating, so that kicking that idea out. At the moment, the strain in the back of my neck made swallowing difficult and any attempt to eat or drink even worse. As a result, I went all day without any sort of food at all, and only minimal fluids due to the near inability to swallow. So, long story short, I was miserable.

“Hey, Allegra, why don’t you sit down for a bit?” Aaron, one of my co-workers suggested.

We’d actually gone to school together, only really getting to know one another after the last two years of working side by side. He was decent company and actually took his job seriously. It was something that I could appreciate, same with our employer, Rick. In the past, I had found myself wondering why we never dated, Aaron and I. Especially, seeing how well that we got along. Then, I was reminded that he had a girlfriend. I’ll admit Becky’s a pretty little thing, with her light brown hair and bright green eyes. She even had a decent personality and would occasionally pop in while we were working to say hi and check in.

One time, she even brought in some milk for me, knowing that I’d been out, saying that she had plenty at the house. I had to admit, she really was a keeper and Aaron was a lucky man. On that note, I turned to him, a tired smile on my face.

“So, when are you and Becky going to get married?” I asked attempting to make conversation as a means to take my mind off of things.

Aaron laughed at the question, running a hand through his hair.

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” he questioned, tossing an empty bottle in the trash behind me.

“Maybe because the two of you seem to be so perfect for one another?” I offered, leaning back in my seat a bit.

Aaron gave me a skeptical look, pulling a glass out and filling it with water.

“What about you?” he countered, taking a swig before handing it over.

“What about me?” I asked, raising a brow in question.

“Well, you seem to be hanging around those guys a lot,” he said.

“Your point?”

I wasn’t really sure what it was that he was trying to get at.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Just thought that maybe you’d finally found someone that was actually worth your time.”

After a moment, we both burst into laughter. Tears eventually set into the corners of my eyes as I clutched my side, a stab of pain going through me from the laughter.

“I…” I started, attempting to get my breath back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Aaron eyed me carefully, a smirk on his face. I knew that he was trying to analyze me, the cheeky bastard.

“Bull shit,” he called out, leaning forward slightly. “You can’t possibly tell me that after all the time you’ve been spending around those punks, that something hasn’t sparked in that tiny head of yours,” he laughed, flicking my forehead lightly.

I groaned, blinking for a moment. For a second, I thought that I’d seen stars, colors swirling around me.

“Don’t make me kick your ass, Aaron,” I warned, swatting at him for flicking me in the forehead, already having enough problems seeing straight as is.

“Come on, Allegra, don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

I narrowed my eyes at him in annoyance. Was he seriously going to try and push this? I didn’t even get hassled like this by my own mother. Then again, Mom didn’t seem to care that much, but still.

“What does it matter anyway?” I sighed, leaning back in my seat, while keeping one eye open to stare at him.

“Oh, I don’t know,” he started, drawing his words out. “Maybe the fact that at least all four of them seemed to have more of a personality than Mark.

There it was, that shit eating grin of his. I swear, sometimes guys could be worse than girls.

“Sure you’re not secretly batting for the other team?” I asked, watching as he bulked in mortification.

Seeing him like that made me want to laugh. I mean, the look on his face was priceless, the unsettling disgust at the mere suggestion enough to know that he was anything but that. Not that any of us had problems with those who were like that or anything. It was just fun to mess with each other every now and then.

“Now that’s just mean,” Aaron whined.

“Then stop pushing,” I told him, finally closing my eyes the rest of the way.

He was starting to get irritating and my stomach was starting to act up again, a dull ache pushing through.

“You know, Allegra,” he started after a moment, pausing no doubt to put the right words together in his head.

I didn’t like where this pause was going though as things went silent, minus the sound of his foot scraping the ground.

“Whatever it is you’re going to say, just say it, Aaron,” I sighed, pressing the tips of my middle and forefingers to the side of my head.

If I was lucky, I might be able to massage part of the pain out. That was only if I was lucky though.

“You do realize that not everyone is going to run off like your dad, right?” he finally said.

Aaron’s words made me flinch and I found myself pursing my lips slightly, before biting down. Why did he have to bring that up!? Seriously? Why? I knew that not everyone was going to just up and leave, but at the same time, what was really stopping them? What did I have to offer them? What did I have to offer anyone actually?

“Aaron, don’t.”

“Allegra, it’s true, and you know it.”

“I said, don’t, Aaron!” I hissed, a salty wetness beading at the corners of my eyes as I pushed myself up out of my seat.

The moment I was up though, I felt myself stumble, vision going cloudy.

“Allegra?”

His voice was full of worry as he moved to steady me, hand gripping my arm.

“I…” I stopped as I swayed, voice failing me as the rest of my vision fogged over.

I couldn’t see, my eyes failing me as the world around me began to fall apart, disappearing from my gaze. I could no longer see Aaron’s face, his arms wrapping around me suddenly for some unknown reason. I realized a moment later that I was no longer standing, legs buckling beneath my own weight. My head felt warm as it fell against something firm, a faint thumping pressing against my ear.

“Allegra!”

I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak, my mouth opening slightly only to remain silent in its attempt. Everything was gone save for the pulsating warmth roaring through me.

xXx

He’d nearly been counting the days in his head since he’d seen her. He’d even been counting the days since he’d offered her the ‘wine’. It was an odd feeling, having to wait, but at the same time, he almost didn’t seem to mind.

For the last month and a half, Allegra had spent time with him and the others every few days, a tired smile on her face whenever they met. Seeing this, it had left him wondering how much work she truly did during the sun ridden hours of the day. David found his self trying to remember the last time that he’d seen the sun, able to feel the warmth of its rays on his skin. For him, being the oldest, it’d been nearly 100 years. Well, more like around 81. He could barely believe how long it’d been, being in the same body and never knowing the feeling of change. Yes, his hair would grow, just as his nails did, but his body remained stagnant with nowhere to go. He felt like has was merely existing in this world, just like his brothers were. That was why he almost didn’t want to give Allegra the wine, nearly unwilling to take that life from her-the freedom. He didn’t want her to feel that same hollowness that he did, 20 to 50 years after being turned.

At the same time, all those years made him realize just how alone and empty he truly felt. Yes, he had his brothers, but it wasn’t the same. In his immortal state, he’d never been able to truly be with a woman. It’d been years since he’d had anything close to it, feeling the same longing as he did for the sun. He yearned for the touch of another, not just a one night eat and sleep as he would put it. He wanted something that would hold some shred of semblance to it, something that would actually hold meaning, but at what price.

Every time he saw her, he felt something stir inside of him, pushing him. He’d felt it the first time he’d seen her, a small spark igniting inside of him. He’d been above on the board walk when he’d seen her walking along the shore, her ‘boyfriend’ whining as he trailed behind her. Even from his place above in the dark, he could make out her features, her long hair flying up around her as a breeze rolled through. She was honestly the prettiest thing that he’d seen in years.

David was pulled from his thoughts as they made to stand outside Rick’s Bar and Grill. It was one of several places that Allegra worked at. He was confused though when he found that he couldn’t catch her immediate scent, striding inside and looking around. She was supposed to be working today, leaving him to wonder if perhaps she was out on an errand of something.

Spotting one of her co-workers, Aaron was his name, he made his way over. Aaron’s eyes widened slightly when they made contact with David, quickly making his way around the counter.

“Where’s Allegra?” David asked, Dwayne and Marko following behind him as Paul went to flirt with a couple of blonde girls sitting off in the corner.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Aaron breathed out. “Her mom isn’t picking up the stupid phone and I didn’t know who else to reach out to,” he stated, running a hand through his hair.

“Whoa now,” David said, hands up in a gesture for him to slow down. “What’s going on?”

“They took her to the hospital.”

The air around him seemed to freeze, David’s back going ridged. It had even given Dwayne pause and Paul pulled away from the two girls he’d been trying to chat up when those words met his ears. Even Marko was quiet.

“What happened?” David asked, trying not to let his mind run wild.

“I don’t know, man,” Aaron sighed. “She came in this afternoon looking a bit out of sorts. Kind of pale, you know?” he said, shifting his feet a bit.

David listened attentively as he spoke, taking in his words.

“She wasn’t so bad earlier in the afternoon, but she kind of got worse as the day ran on. I made her sit down at one point,” he told them, hesitating for a moment. “I pissed her off by accident at one point and that’s when she passed out.”

“She just passed out?” Marko asked skeptically raising an eyebrow in question.

Sighing, Aaron rolled his eyes.

“She went to get up and got dizzy,” he told them. “I had to catch her to keep her from cracking her head on the floor,” he said defensively. “I think she’s been working herself too much lately.”

“Where did they take her?” Dwayne asked, finally deciding to speak up as David tried to process everything.

“Saint John’s,” Aaron said. “They took her to Saint John’s Hospital, over off of Everett Street.”

xXx

It was strange walking into that hospital. The white walls seemed even colder than he remembered. Granted, medicine had come a long way since he was human, but it still seemed just as cold and unfeeling as ever. Maneuvering his way to the reception desk, he leaned forward on his hands, putting on his best smile.

“Can I help you?” the girl asked, pressing back a lock of curly and unnatural bleach blonde hair.

“Yes,” David nodded. “I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of Allegra Edmunds?” he asked.

“And your association?” she asked, popping the gum in her mouth that she’d been chewing on for nearly an hour, much to David’s irritation.

“Family,” David replied. “Mom was out, so we got the call a little late.”

Nodding, she turned to her clipboard, running a well manicured nail down and across the paper.

“Ah, yes,” she nodded. “Ms. Edmunds. She’s in room 14B.”

Getting up, she pushed her chair back, walking out around the desk with clipboard in hand.

“If you’ll follow me this way, I’ll take you to her,” she instructed.

Looking between themselves for a moment, they followed, each of them stuffing their hands in their pockets.

“Now, I must warn you, there’s a limit on how many people are allowed in at a time and her boyfriend is in there with her at the moment,” she said, not bothering to look back at them as she spoke.

In fact, it was a good thing that she didn’t, David’s eyes flashing a fiery orange momentarily after she’d spoken.

“That little shit!” he hissed, marching straight down after the woman and passed her as he found the room.

Just as she said, Mark was inside, his chair pulled over beside her bed. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Dwayne shook his head, knowing the course of action that David wanted to take. It was better to stay on the defense when it came to things at times and they all knew that. Allegra had made David slightly unpredictable lately though, leaving Dwayne to keep an eye on him.

“Slowly,” Dwayne breathed out, giving the woman a nod that she could leave them to their own devices.

Marko had moved passed them before either could say anything, opening the door and closing it behind him.

“I told you, I don’t…” Mark stopped mid sentence when he realized who had walked in, rolling his tongue between his teeth.

“I thought she dumped you,” Marko practically sang, walking around on the tips of his toes, skirting across the room with ease.

“I don’t recall it being finalized,” Mark said hotly, turning his nose up slightly in a childish manner.

“I seem to recall otherwise,” Marko laughed, stepping up to him and squaring off his shoulders.

Even for such an innocent looking guy, he still knew how to make himself look intimidating. He knew that it would be easy the moment that he walked into the room already smelling it on him. He was high and off of a bit of coke by the smell of it.

Marko could feel the sides of his mouth pulling up into a smirk. Over the years, he’d learned how to play with his prey. Addicts were the most fun, leaving them to believe almost anything since they were already under the influence and didn’t take much persuasion.

Narrowing his eyes, Marko let his eyes flicker to orange momentarily, a hint of satisfaction on his face when Mark jumped back.

“What’s wrong?” Marko asked innocently, his features sharpening as his face changed.

This time, Mark let out a yelp, moving as far away from Marko as he could.

“S-stay back!” Mark cried out, stumbling as Marko moved toward him.

“Huh?” Marko blinked, his face returning to normal. “What’s wrong? Something on my face?”

Outside the door, David and the others listened, watching through the little window. Marko was doing their job for them, easily taking advantage of the situation and sending the little flea’s heart rate sky rocketing.

Smirking, Marko decided to push things, letting his face transform again as he drew closer. He could see Mark watching him out of the corner of his eye, slowly leaning over Allegra’s still form.

Mark went ridged when he saw this, his back going straighter and his eyes growing wide.

“G-get away from her!” Mark stammered, taking a step forward.

He retracted that step though when Marko turned around, swallowing the lump in his throat. His Adam’s apple bobbed nervously, sweat beading at his forehead.

Again, Marko grinned, leaving forward again. He merely pressed his lips to the girl’s forehead, pulling back and inhaling her scent, the sweetness of her wafting through his nose. It was no wonder David liked her so much.

Clearing those thoughts from his head, he watched as Mark quickly exited the room. The moment he was out, Marko placed a chair under the handle, making sure that he couldn’t get back in.

xXx

Everything had gone by in a haze to me, voices fading in and out along with my sight. I knew that there was a couple of times where light had returned to me, but I didn’t really know how. My muscles never moved, so I was sure that it wasn’t my doing. Were they shining lights in my eyes? What was the point of that? Why would they do something that hurt? Where was I for that matter? Better yet, why did my head feel like lead? There were one too many questions.

xXx

I could feel the lights overhead shining down on me, the intensity shining through the hot glass making me wince.

“God, this sucks…” I groaned, sluggishly peeling my eyes open.

I had to blink as the light accosted my vision, blinding me. For a moment, all I saw was a large blur of spots. The colors slowly faded though, leaving me to focus on the back of the room. To say that I was confused was an understatement.

Sat over in the corner was a mop of curly blonde hair. Their head was hung in what I assumed to be sleep given how limp he looked. Why was Marko here though? From where I laid, I could see movement outside of the room. Another mop of blonde caught my eye and my heart stilled.

I nearly jumped when he was shoved roughly against the door, his back being crushed against the frame. Other than the noise of that, the voices that followed were momentarily muffled. It left me confused, my brow furrowing together as I slowly pushed myself up. My eyes narrowed at the IV bag that was hooked up to my arm, wincing as I ripped it from my skin. I hated needles.

“You guys are monsters!”

I winced again at the volume as David was shoved against the door once more, my hearing finally picking up with the throbbing of my skull.

“Marko?” I called out, stumbling forward.

I was surprised when he stirred at the sound of my voice and not from the scuffle outside. As a result, I realized that he must have been faking it, which irritated me a bit.

“I know you weren’t really sleeping,” I said evenly, the muscles in my arm straining a bit.

“Hehe… You caught me,” he said nervously, mouth pulled back into a slightly humorous manner.

I merely rolled my eyes at him, before turning my gaze back to the door.

“Mind telling me what’s going on?” I asked, pointing a finger toward the noise outside.

“Depends on if you really wanna know,” he said, the grin on his face never leaving him.

“Marko…” I started, narrowing my eyes in frustration. “I’m _really_ not in the mood for this shit.”

At my response he laughed, leaning back in his seat as he crossed his legs at the ankles, hands behind his head.

“All you had to do was drop the ‘o’,” he said with a shrug.

Drop the ‘o’? What the hell was that supposed to mean? Was this his demented way of joking with me? What was wrong with men anyway? I was about ready to berate him, his name on the tip of my tongue when I realized what his comment meant, a whole new wave of irritation washing over me.

“Wait... Mark!?” I exclaimed.

“See, you didn’t really wanna know.”

I brushed his comment off, pushing back the wave of nausea that was trying to consume me. I was going to strangle that man. Making my way over to the door, I slammed my fist against it. As a result, the guys moved out of the way, a look of slight hesitation forming on their faces. A hint of surprise was also present, making me wonder how aware they were of anything outside of themselves at the moment.

Mark stood outside, irritation obvious on his face as I wrenched the door open, the chair that had been pressed against it falling to the ground with a clatter. Once his eyes met mine though, he pushed forward, shoving Paul out of the way and into the wall.

“Hey!” I snapped, glaring as I let my eyes trail over Paul.

He didn’t seem any worse for wear, oddly enough, as he let his back slide down against the wall of the hallway. Mark on the other hand seemed to brush off my outburst and made his way straight toward me.

“I was so worried!” he exclaimed, crushing my body against him in an embrace. “I was afraid that these guys were going to eat you!”

I felt my eyes sting as I was assaulted by the smell of alcohol and something else that I couldn’t quite place. It was something not quite medicinal. Unfortunately, I found myself finding similarities between his smell and the unfortunate normalcy of my mother’s.

“Get off of me,” I ground out, the muscles in my back going ridged from the contact.

The smell was enough to make me gag. Worse yet was the mere feeling of his hands on me. I found that the front of his shirt was wrinkled as though he’d fallen asleep in it more than a couple of times. His hair was a mess, resembling that of a rat’s nest, pieces sticking out all over the place. It looked oily too, leaving me to wonder the last time that he’d showered, grimy strands about his face. Hearing him start ranting again about David and the others, my patience finally gave way. What was this talk about monsters and demons? Was he really that far gone at the moment?

Giving up on patience entirely at this point, I stamped down on his foot, hearing the sound echo down the hallway as he squealed. Backing up, I found myself standing just short of being on top of David. He didn’t seem to mind, his leather clad hand coming to rest on my shoulder. I allowed myself to lean back, my skin pressing further into his hand. My back pressed against his covered chest, eyes closing as I drew in a breath of air. I shuddered as a feeling of weakness rolled over me. For a moment, my mind clouded over as my thoughts melded together in an unorganized mass.

“Hey,” David breathed out, the strength of his hands bracing me against him.

“I’m okay,” I told him, trying to wave him off.

I didn’t like having to depend on people. It just wasn’t me. Growing up, I had to fend for myself, realizing that I couldn’t rely on everyone else to get by. If I wanted something I had to work for it. Nothing was handed to me. The same could be said with concern.

“Why are you so mean?” Mark asked, clutching his foot. “Don’t you see what they’re trying to do to you?”

At this point, Paul had moved away from the wall, straightening out his jacket.

“Why are you such an idiot?” I countered, straightening up as best I could in my current state.

It ended up being a rather feeble attempt, but it’s what it is. I couldn’t help it if I was still exhausted.

“Come on, do we really have to do this right now?” he asked, looking between the guys awkwardly.

There was also a sense of fear and nervousness in the planes of his face. It was like he was a bit on edge around them, like something had happened.

“Does it really matter?” I sighed.

I was starting to feel shaky again, skin becoming flushed. Maybe standing wasn’t such a good idea after all.

“Easy now, Princess,” David said, arms wrapping around me as I faltered.

Mark didn’t like this very much, his eyes glaring daggers at David’s head. Seeing what could possibly turn into a problem, Dwayne stepped in between us. The Native’s hands pushed against Mark’s taut chest, shoving him back a few steps.

“Don’t touch me!” Mark snapped, shoving Dwayne roughly, before moving away from him.

The taller of the two barely budged. It was like an immovable statue of stone, a mountain even. This only seemed to anger Mark further. Dwayne’s expression never changed though, remaining neutral at Mark’s misguided rage. It was something that he was obviously used to, deflecting it with practiced ease. Being with in ear shot of the commotion, one of the male nurses marched toward us, a look of frustration evident on his face.

“What’s going on here?” he asked, hands on his hips. “And you,” he pointed a finger my way, making me cringe slightly. “You’re supposed to be in bed young lady.”

I felt like I was around four years old again, my father scolding me for doing something that I shouldn’t have been doing. Seeing this, Paul came toward me and David, momentarily pulling me from David’s arms. The latter didn’t seem too pleased, but he didn’t say anything on the matter.

“We’re cool, man,” Paul told the man, hugging me close to his chest. “We just came to check on our sister.”

I had to choke down a laugh. Sister? Really? That’d be one hell of a strange family, what with David’s somewhat brooding and mischievous nature, Paul’s quirky attitude, Marko’s sneakiness, and Dwayne’s quiet, but subtle presence. You couldn’t have a more different group than them.

“Sister, huh?” the man asked.

Taking stock, I noticed that his nametag read ‘Steve’.

“And you two?” he asked, glancing between Dwayne and Mark.

No doubt, Steve had taken in the blonde hair of David, Marko, and Paul, leaving the answer and explanation for Dwayne’s obvious misconnection.

“Cousin,” Dwayne replied simply, placing a hand on top of my head.

“We got worried when she didn’t come home from work,” David said, leaning his back against the door to my room.

“Mother dearest was still at work, so we came instead when we got the message on the landline,” Marko piped up.

“And you?” Steve asked, pointing a finger toward Mark in question.

Mark went to open his mouth in response, but I spoke up first, surprising all of them.

“An annoying and unwanted guest,” I said flatly, drawing in a breath of air. “Also, you might want to have someone check his levels,” I pointed out. “I think he’s been hallucinating.”

Behind me, I could hear Marko snickered, glancing back to find David smirking with pride. What was with everyone today? Hell, what was with me?

Pushing that from my mind, I turned back to the nurse, drawing in another shaky breath of air.

“I believe I’ll have my brothers help me back to my bed,” I said, leaning against Paul.

I was starting to feel nausea again, the need to sit down becoming more prominent than ever.

“Paul, can you…” I started, pointing toward the door.

I didn’t even have time to say anything else as he swept me off of my feet, my arms wrapping tightly around his neck in shock. He merely laughed, holding me against him as he pushed the door open and made his way to the bed. He was careful in setting me down, my body sinking into the cushion. The muscles in my back and legs cried out happily at the ease in strain and I found myself leaning back into one of the pillows, Steve taking Mark by the arm and escorting him elsewhere.

Once everyone was in the room, the door closed behind them with the small shade being drawn. For just a moment, there was nothing, but silence, the guys looking back and forth between one another. I laughed then, the muscles in my back pinching, but I couldn’t help it. The look on Mark’s face, the hysteria of the situation, and the bull shit lie about family. It was all too much for me.

“Is she broken?” Paul asked curiously as he poked me lightly in the shoulder.

They watched as I fell back against the pillow behind me, tears in my eyes. The look of confusion on David’s face was priceless, making me laugh even harder. God, I felt slap happy at the moment.

“I’m confused,” Marko said, coming forward and leaning toward me.

Quickly, he placed a hand over my mouth, stifling my laughter. I tried to shake him off, but he merely grinned, keeping his hand in place. Narrowing my eyes, the corner of my lips turned up and I bit down, Marko yelping and pulling his hand back.

“Hey!” he exclaimed, shaking his hand out.

Paul laughed, Marko tackling him a moment later.

“You guys really are nuts,” I laughed, shaking my head as I leaned back, eyes closing as I let out a sigh.

Opening my eyes a few moments later, I glanced around. Paul and Marko were wrestling around on the floor, Dwayne making sure to stand to the side so as not to get knocked over and mauled. David, David was standing off to the side, his back resting against the wall. His eyes were unfocused, almost like he was lost in thought. His hair was a bit messy in spots from Mark, some sections having gone flat. It didn’t take away from how handsome he was though, making him look slightly rougher if nothing else.

“David…” I breathed out, watching as he blinked, looking over at me.

I held my hand out toward him, letting him take hold of it as he walked to my side. I felt his thumb graze the top of my knuckles, a shiver running down my spine.

“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” I asked, tugging him lightly to sit beside me.

I watched as his tongue darted out, wetting his lips, before swallowing.

“Nothing I can’t deal with,” he told me, letting out a breath of air.

“Take your coat off,” I told him, watching his face bunch up in confusion. “Just take it off?” I sighed.

After a moment, he did as I asked, laying his coat and jacket down on the edge of the bed.

“Happy now?” he asked, raising a brow in question.

I snorted lightly, pulling him lightly to turn to the side. He seemed to humor me, turning while rolling his eyes. I took this time to sit up, pulling him to scoot back a bit until his lower back was touch the outer thigh of my right leg. I let my hands trail across his back, my fingers working against the muscles of his back. I had imagined them being tight after Mark’s rough shoving against the door, the muscles along his spine and shoulders tensing slightly.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you end up with a bruise from that,” I said, letting my fingers dig lightly into the muscles.

I could feel them twitch, almost rejecting my touch after having been brutalized. I could tell that the area around his spin was sore, the spot below his ribs on the right side becoming slightly strained. I still couldn’t believe that Mark had actually gone out of his way and done that to him. I was reminded just then that the guy was also high off of something, making me wonder what his brother had managed to drag him into.

After a moment, David’s hand reached back, gripping my wrist in his hand.

“Stop,” he said quietly, drawing in a breath of air. “You should be resting. Not taking care of me.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” I said plainly, moving to pull my wrist from his grip.

He wouldn’t let go though, turning in his spot so that he could face me. His eyes were intense as he looked as me, his grip finally easing up a bit, until he moved it to my fingers. He gripped the tapered digits in his palm, thumb running along the length of them. At this point, Paul had Marko in a headlock on the floor, the two still struggling for dominance.

“You should be resting,” David told me, glancing over at the clock on the wall.

It was around one in the morning from what I could tell.

“I don’t want to,” I told him. “I just want to go home.”

He looked at me for a moment, his eyes moving toward Dwayne. The Native nodded his head, a secret conversation seeming to pass between the two.


	5. Quiet Affections Turn

**[The Lost Boys]**

**As the World Falls Down**

**Chapter 5**

**Quiet Affections Turn**

It was around 4:30 AM when they pulled her from the hospital, the doctors giving the okay as long as she got some rest. It was a welcomed relief in all honesty, none of them wanting her to remain there. It was Dwayne that had carried her from the building, her head lulled to the side in sleep. It didn’t take much to have her released, deciding merely to take her with them back to the cave after acquiring the medications needed. There, they’d be able to let her sleep properly where they could keep an eye on her, deciding that they’d take it in shifts.

“Take her on yours,” David instructed, moving to his own bike. “I don’t want her falling off.”

He knew that Dwayne’s bike was larger, having a decent secondary seat on the back. He just didn’t want her to accidentally fall off, given the fact that she was dead asleep at this point. In fact, as Dwayne situated himself on the bike he took off his jacket, using it to tie Allegra to him. The sight was almost laughable if it weren’t for how crappy they knew she felt at the moment. Still, just like David, Dwayne didn’t want her falling off.

“Got her,” Dwayne said, nodding his head as he kicked up the stand on his bike.

“Let’s go, boys!”

With that, they were off, bikes rumbling against the ground as they headed for the cave. Every now and then, David would look back, making sure that Allegra hadn’t managed to fall off. She was still dead asleep, head slumped against Dwayne’s back. David almost wished it was him that she was leaning against, but at the moment, her safety was his biggest concern. Still, he couldn’t help, but to think about her warm skin against his chilled flesh. He thought back to earlier when he’d taken her hand, a blanket of warmth covering it. It was a soothing sensation that had put him at ease. He was a bit surprised when she had reached for him, leaving him no choice, but to go to her. It was something that he wasn’t really used to. It wasn’t that he didn’t like it, quite the opposite in fact. It was something that he’d been craving for years. It made him wonder if she’d still be as willing if she knew what he truly was. The thought alone made him cringe. He didn’t want to imagine having her flinch away from him, fear on her face that was directed toward him. He didn’t think he could handle something like that.

Dismounting his bike, David pushed those thoughts back. He had other things to worry about, realizing that the sun was getting ready to rise.

“I’ll take her from here,” David said, carefully taking her from Dwayne. “Make sure the bikes are taken care of.”

Allegra groaned faintly as David took her, holding her to him. He cradled her head against his chest, her own chest rising and falling with every breath that she took. Even when tired, he still thought that she was beautiful. What was nice was the fact that she didn’t appear to be as pale as she had been earlier. Still, she looked drained and he didn’t like seeing her like that.

Hopping down below the decrepit walkway, David made his way into the cave, Dwayne lighting a couple of the trash cans as they went. Not that they really needed them, but they knew it would help when she finally woke up.

Once they were fully inside, David made his way over to the four poster bed at the back of the cave, carefully easing Allegra’s body down onto it. This time, she didn’t move, her eyes fluttering beneath her lids as she dreamt. He could honestly say that this time around, no one would likely be getting a decent sleep.

Sighing, David brushed a bit of hair from her face, sitting along the edge of the bed. He was tempted to lay down alongside her, yearning to hold her in his arms as he slept. He didn’t want her to freak out when she woke up though. At the same time, he didn’t really think that she’d care. Taking that into consideration, David shrugged his coat and jacket off, draping them over his ‘throne’. After that, he began the task of removing his boots, fingers maneuvering the laces from their place. Once he had them undone, he kicked them off, letting them fall to the ground as he crawled across the bed. He cushioned himself behind her, laying his arm behind his head as he carefully placed the other over her waist, his hand skimming the skin of her arm. He almost couldn’t believe how soft her skin was, the hairs standing slightly on end.

Without realizing it, David found himself drawing closer to her, his nose burying itself into the crook of her neck. Her hair brushed his cheek, the feeling like silk as he curled himself against her. His body was drawn to the heat, relishing in it.

Across the way, he could hear Paul scuffling around, the blonde lighting up a blunt as he lounged about the old fountain. At this point, Marko had already curled up on the couch, legs splaying out on the cushions. Dwayne had merely managed to stretch out on a mat, not minding the hard ground beneath him.

As David laid there, he could feel sleep pulling at him, the rise of the sun drawing the consciousness from their bodies. Their kind weren’t meant to be a part of the ‘waking’ hours of the sun. The hours of the day zapped away at their energy, keeping them submerged in a world of sleep. It wasn’t an easy task, staying awake during the day for them. The moment the sun was down though, they were allowed to roam free. With that in mind, David let sleep take hold of him, the last thoughts running through his head being the warmth that Allegra’s body was providing his cold skin.

xXx

A strange feeling overwhelmed me as I laid there, a hint of light drawing me from my sleep. It was only slight though, unable to fully draw me from my sleep, which left me in a state of limbo as it were. I felt a strange weight upon me, a lump pressing my arm to my side. A small bout of air met the back of my neck, the feel finally managing to pull me into a state of consciousness.

Opening my eyes I blinked, trying my hardest to focus my vision. I was almost confused, taking in the area around me. Then, I remembered, David agreeing to bring me back with them if the doctors allowed me to leave. I was still confused though as I laid there, groaning as I made to bring my hand to my face, realizing the weight that held it in place. Looking down, I found an arm laying across me, brows furrowing in confusion. This caused me to look over my shoulder, eyes widening ever so slightly as I realized who the arm was attached to.

“David…?” I murmured, twisting a bit in an attempt to get a better look at him.

His eyes were closed, breath rolling lightly passed his lips as he slept. He looked so peaceful laying there, something that I wasn’t used to seeing. In this state he looked younger, less worn than he did during the time that we normally spent together. It was an odd thing to see. I liked seeing him like this though, relaxed and at peace. Reaching my other hand out, I brushed it against his cheek, my fingers moving to play with the tips of his hair. It was so pale, but at the same time, it seemed to fit him. I liked being able to see him like this, up close.

Strangely, my body seemed cooler laying against his, pulling the heat from my tired form. It was a nice feeling, not being over heated like I had been yesterday. After a moment, David moved, pulling me closer as he shoved his face into my shoulder. It made me laugh, a groan escaping him. A moment later, he managed to crack his eyes open, eyeing my groggily.

“Allegra?” he groaned, burying his face against me again.

“David,” I laughed, a smile on my face despite my fatigue. “I didn’t realize you were one to cuddle.”

“Shut up…” he muttered, fingers curling into my side. “You’re warm.”

I felt his lips press against my neck as he laid there, my body going still momentarily. I felt the bluntness of his teeth scrape against the skin for a moment, heat rushing to my cheeks as he toyed with the delicate skin of my neck.

“David…” I groaned out, closing my eyes.

I could feel him moving as he slid on top of me, his right hand coming to rest on my hip as he used the other one to keep himself steady. Opening my eyes, I found him looking down at me, a look of fatigue clouding his eyes. His thumb pressed against my hip, his knees on either side of my legs keeping me from moving.

“What are you…,” I started, pausing as he drew his hand upward and running his knuckles against my cheek.

I wasn’t really sure what was going on as we watched each other, my chest rising and falling at a quicker pace as I soaked up his attentions. I wasn’t used to this, but I’d be damned if I passed it up. Still, it left me to wonder why it took him until now to make any real sort of move. It didn’t help since it was obvious how tired he was. Just think what it would be like if he weren’t tired right now.

“Shhhh…” David whispered, letting his finger tips trace over the corner of my eyes and lips.

I felt my lips pucker slightly as his thumb brushed across them, leaning into his touch. It made me wonder how sane I currently was. Then again, maybe Aaron had a point. Thinking back to the conversation from yesterday, I drew back, the reality of things finally kicking in. I shouldn’t be doing this. God, I shouldn’t be doing this. Quickly, I pushed him away, watching as he fell back to the bed with a look of confusion on his face. I caught a trace of hurt in his eyes as he stared at me, his attentions becoming more coherent now that we’d parted.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, brows furrowing.

“Nothing, I just…” I started, but stopped, shaking my head.

I couldn’t explain myself, not to him of all people.

“I… I can’t do this,” I told him, pushing myself up off the bed.

I went to walk away, only to feel him grab hold of my wrist, tugging me back down to him. Without much effort, he managed to wrap his arms around me from behind, pinning me against him. I tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let me.

“What is wrong with you?” he asked, keeping a hold on me.

I didn’t answer right away, wiggling in his hold.

“David, please,” I sighed, closing my eyes.

“Look at me,” he said, easing up a bit. “Allegra,” he breathed out, his voice coaxing me into submission after a moment.

Biting my lip, I turned, feeling like an idiot. I think it was the lack of energy. Maybe it was just the lack of sanity, but for a moment, I thought that I saw clarity in his eyes.

“Wait,” he breathed out. “This has to do with your dad, doesn’t it?” he asked, his grip loosening as he sat there with me.

To say that I was shocked was an understatement. I mean, how did he know? I hadn’t truly gotten around to mentioning my insecurities directly, at least not to him. How could I tell the guy that I was apparently attracted to that I wasn’t sure if I could be with him because I apparently had daddy issues to put it bluntly. I had a fear of being abandoned. A fear of being alone.

“How did you…” I started, swallowing the lump in my throat.

“Forget about that,” he said, shaking his head.

He managed to turn me around the rest of the way, his hands gripping my shoulders.

I knew that there was something that he wanted to say, I could see it in his eyes, those icy blues staring back at me as questions stirred behind them.

“I…” he was cut off as a bird flew by us, startling me.

Out of reflex, I grabbed onto him, burying myself against him as his hand swatted the thing away. Looking back at each other the corners of our mouths twitched, laughter erupting a moment later.

I felt so stupid as I set there, hands still clinging to the front of his shirt, the material soft against my hands. I let my eyes wander, skimming over his arms. The skin was pale, but toned, muscle peeking through without much effort. Those muscles melded with his neck and shoulders, tapering off as they rose to his jaw. Once again, I found myself silent as I observed him, lips parting slightly. His hand reached up, fingers brushing my cheek as he pushed a strand of hair behind my ear.

This time, I ignored the nagging feeling in my head as his finger tip traced along the line of my lips, a hand on the back of my neck pulling me closer.

“David,” I whispered, heart pounding in my chest.

He responded by pressing his lips to mine, inhaling deeply as he did. My eyes closed at the contact, not pulling away. My hands made their way into his hair, threading through the blonde strands and gripping lightly at the back of his head.

I think that the reason why things really scared me was due to the fact that I actually cared. Things with Mark had been stale from the start, just like any of the guys that I’d met in high school. No one had made me actually feel anything really. It had been like a show we were putting on. I wanted more than just that though. I wanted to feel something.

With David and the others, I felt cared for; wanted. These guys didn’t want to just use me and leave me like the others. They actually wanted to be around me for me.

“David,” I whispered, letting my hand brush against his pale cheek.

He pulled back, looking down at me. There was a hint of a smile on his face and maybe a smidge of relief? It made me wonder if he’d been unsure about things as well.

“I…” he paused, holding my face in his hands as he pressed his forehead to mine.

He was so close. I wanted to feel his lips against mine again, despite previous reservations. Why did he have to be so…

My stomach growling interrupted my thoughts, a curse coming from him as a result. I could feel the heat rushing to my cheeks in embarrassment as he pulled back, narrowing his eyes in thought.

“Come on,” he said, slowly rising from the bed and grabbing my hand.

“Where are we going?” I asked, following behind him as he led me down a hall by the hand.

I found myself tripping and running into the back of him, a tired chuckle escaping him. It made me wonder exactly how long he had stayed up.

Giving my hand a small tug, he pulled me into another room, pulling a lighter from his pocket and lighting an old candle. I had to squint my eyes at the sudden brightness of the flame, blinking away the spots in my eyes. David chuckled as he watched, running a hand over his tired face and stretching his cheeks.

“How long were you up for?” I asked, watching as he rummaged around a bit.

“Long enough,” he yawned.

After a moment, he seemed to find what he was looking for, standing back up and making his way over to me.

“It’s not much, but…” he breathed out, offering me a little reseal-able bag.

I gave him a curious look as I took it from his hand, looking it over. Dragging it into the light, I realized that it was a bag of jerky. Peeling it open, I inhaled, drawing in the smell of beef. It’d been a while since I’d had any, but it always tasted just as good.

“We normally just go out for food, so there’s not normally much of anything laying around,” he explained, his back pressed against the wall.

His eyes were closed as he stood there, his head slowly starting to lull to the side as he fought to stay awake. I knew that all I was doing was tormenting him with staying awake, stepping forward and gripping his hand lightly in mine.

“Why don’t we head back?” I suggested. “Don’t want you falling over,” I joked.

David narrowed his eyes at me slightly as he stepped closer to me, before catching the flame of the candle and extinguishing it.

“Shit!” I hissed, grabbing for him at the sudden lack of light.

I couldn’t even see my hands in front of me as he took hold of my shoulders from behind, pressing his lips to the blades softly. The feeling made a pleasant shiver go through me, leaving me biting my lip.

“David…” I whined, leaning against him as he let his arms slide down and wrap around me.

“You’re so warm,” he whispered, lips moving against my skin as he spoke.

“I’d be even warmer if we laid back down,” I told him, tilting my head to the side for better access.

His lips brushed the skin, rising upwards to my ear as he let his tongue reach out, the wet appendage touching the shell of my ear. Again, I shivered, groaning slightly. I guess this was payback for me pulling him from his sleep. He obviously wasn’t much of a morning person. Then again, I didn’t even know what time it was. Was it morning or was it afternoon?

“You’re going to have to wake up long enough to guide us back though because I can’t see,” I told him.

I felt him shift behind me, a squeal escaping me when he suddenly scooped me up into his arms. Out of reflex, I wrapped my arms around his neck, my body bouncing slightly with every step that he took.

“Fair warning,” he started, shifting me slightly as we drew closer back to the main room. “Once I go back to sleep, there is _no_ waking me back up,” he told me.

I merely nodded my head, feeling embarrassed when I realized that he likely couldn’t see it. I felt him come to a stop after a moment, his arms slowly setting me down on the bed. I let the bag of jerky rest on the edge as I crawled up onto the mattress, feeling the weight of David crawling up along side me. This time, he merely laid back, his eyes drifting closed. Within minutes, I watched his head lull to the side, his eyes flitting around beneath his lids. He’d fallen right to sleep.

After he’d fallen asleep, I found my eyes wandering as I chewed on a few pieces of jerky. From where I was, I could make out Marko’s form over on the couch, his mouth hanging open slightly with his limbs all over the place. It made me wish that I had a camera, wanting to preserve the moment. Actually, I wouldn’t mind taking one of David while he was sleeping. He’d probably come after me for it though, but it would be worth it in my opinion.

“Hm…” I breathed out, raising a hand to my mouth as I yawned.

Glancing back at David, I felt a small smile pull onto my face. His blonde hair was now a bit messier from running his hands thought it, the back having gone completely flat at this point. The tension in his jaw had released again and he was left looking relaxed. I couldn’t help, but to draw closer as I nestled myself beside him, fatigue starting to pull at me again. Slowly, I curled myself against him, splaying my arm out over top of him. My fingers brushed his collarbone as I rested my head at the place between his chest and shoulder. I could feel a faint beat from his chest, the sound nearly nonexistent strangely enough. It made me wonder if perhaps he had a heart murmur or something. It was something that I’d have to ask about later.

Closing my eyes, I yawned, groaning a bit as I gripped the front of his shirt in my hand. I barely registered the fact that he hadn’t even moved. True to his word, there was no waking him up, at least not until well after the sun had ceased to be.

xXx

They weren’t really sure who had woken up first, Dwayne or Marko. It’d likely been Dwayne, but it didn’t really matter that much since he didn’t really get up from his spot until about an hour after the sun had gone down. Marko had initially picked at him though, that he was wasting the precious night by spending the first part reading a tattered old book. Paul had been the unfortunate one to end up being woken up by Marko’s precious little doves, one of them flying over head and incidentally dropping poo on his face. He’d gone wide eyed, running out of the room in disgust while threatening to roast the thing on a pool stick.

It was actually the laughter that had woken the lovely ‘couple’ up, Marko peering over them as David groaned, initially burying his head further against Allegra and the pillow. Marko couldn’t help, but to snicker at the sight of the two. Allegra’s head was pressed against David’s chest, her leg tangled with one of his own, the former’s face scrunching up at all the noise.

xXx

I inhaled deeply as I laid there, moaning lightly at the sound of laughter. The noise was grating, pulling me from my sleep. It made me want to smack someone, a slight headache still holding on from the prior day.

I felt around with my hand, searching, fingers momentarily skimming David’s bare arm. After a moment, I gripped the item, before tossing it toward the obnoxious laughter. I was happy as the action momentarily silenced the noise. The bliss of silence was short lived though as the item was suddenly tossed back at my head, my body jolting up with a start as the thing bounced off. For a moment, I saw red, eyes narrowed at Marko in irritation. It was partially extinguished though when I felt David’s hand wrap around my wrist, pulling me back to him and keeping me from attacking the curly haired blonde that was now laughing again.

“Marko!” David snapped, narrowing his own eyes as he slowly sat up beside me, removing his hand after a moments thought.

“Stay,” he said firmly, pointing a finger at me as I folded my arms over my chest in frustration.

“I’ll show you ‘stay’,” I muttered, a smile forming on his face at my words, his face leaning in close to mine.

“Don’t tempt me,” he said huskily, daring me to say anything else. “I have to take a piss.”

“Ew,” I said, my face scrunching up in disgust. “A little too much information, don’t you think?”

“I’m sorry. Would you like to help?” he grinned, stepping back toward me and gripping my chin lightly in his hand.

“Careful, David,” I warned, baring my teeth. “I bite.”

David chuckled at my words, almost as though it were a joke. It actually caught me off guard, watching as he grinned, his teeth in full view. It wasn’t until then that I noticed that he had abnormally sharp canine teeth, the enamel a bright white.

“Trust me, I bite harder,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

I felt my face go red at his actions, the blush rising to the tips of my ears.

“But by all means, give it a go,” he chuckled.

“Go take your piss,” I grumbled, pushing him away from me.

After he’d left, I laid back on the bed, burying my face into one of the pillows. The fabric smelled like him, a sigh leaving my mouth as I groaned. Why did it have to smell like him? I mean, seriously? Why? Wasn’t my embarrassment enough at the moment?

“Don’t say it!” I hissed, hearing Paul trying to stifle a laugh. “Say one word and I’ll strangle you!”

Paul went quiet for a few seconds which left me confused. I took that moment to look up, only to scream when I found him to be an inch from my face. As a result I fell from the bed, my back colliding with the floor and my head bouncing painfully.

“Son of a…” I groaned, kicking out when his face was in view, inevitably catching him in the jaw with the heel of my foot.

“Shit!” he yowled, falling back against the bed, his hand on his jaw.

“Freaking moron!” I yelled, slowly pushing myself up while pressing a hand to the back of my head.

Now, I really did have a headache, tears welling up in the corner of my eyes as a stabbing pain shot through me. I cursed quietly, leaning forward and pressing my forehead into the mattress. People wonder why I lash out at times. This is also why I believe men to be idiots.

xXx

The sun had already set when he felt the pull of the night pushing him to rise. He had been the first to wake, Dwayne following behind. Neither felt like truly rising though, David deciding to drift back off to sleep for a bit, Allegra curled in his arms. It was something that he wanted to prolong, her warmth too good to ignore, her smell relaxing him.

When he awoke next, it was due to Marko’s obnoxious laughter, his voice emanating from a few feet away. He tried to ignore it, grunting as he pressed his nose into the crook of Allegra’s neck. He could feel the woman twitch as she let out a groan of her own, a bout of annoyance obviously welling up within her. Pretending to still be asleep, he could feel her feeling around for something, her hand pausing for a moment. He heard the crinkle of plastic as she gripped the item, remembering the jerky that he’d given her that morning, before she then chucked the thing at Marko. He had to force himself not to laugh when he heard it hit its target, shutting the curly haired youth up. For a moment, he thought that it might be the end of it, before he picked up the movement of his muscles.

Allegra’s body shot up as the bag came flying back at her, hitting her square in the head. It was at that moment that he chose to ‘wake up’, grabbing her wrist and pulling her against him in order to keep his blood brother from possible bodily harm, the blonde taking that moment to start laughing again.

“Marko!” David snapped, narrowing his eyes as he slowly sat up.

He sat there for a moment, a tingling rising inside of him. As he stood up, he turned back to Allegra, pointing a finger at her.

“Stay,” he said firmly, watching as she crossed her arms over her chest in a frustrated manner.

“I’ll show you ‘stay’,” she muttered, her comment easily reaching his ears.

He leaned back in, his face coming within a mere two inches, their noses nearly touching.

“Don’t tempt me,” he said, voice deliberately husky, a grin on his face as he dared her to speak further. “I have to take a piss.”

The look on her face as a result was priceless.

“Ew.”

Her face scrunched up in disgust.

“A little too much information, don’t you think?”

“I’m sorry. Would you like to help?” he asked, stepping closer and gripping her chin in his hand lightly, his thumb stroking the skin.

“Careful, David,” she warned, squaring her shoulders as she bared her teeth. “I bite.”

David chuckled at her actions. To him, it was the funniest thing ever. If she knew what he truly was, she never would have mocked him. He took it in stride though, deciding to push things just a bit further.

Showing his teeth, David let the image linger, smiling wide. Her eyes went to his mouth as a result.

“Trust me, I bite harder,” he told her, wiggling his eyebrows in a suggestive manner, watching as her face slowly went red. “But by all means, give it a go,” he chuckled.

“Go take a piss,” she grumbled, pushing him back as she looked elsewhere.

Having been pushed away, he finally took that time to step outside and relieve himself, taking in the slight chill of the night air.

The breeze that rolled off the waves was salty, nipping lightly at his senses. It almost seemed to leave a light layer of salt on his tongue. As a result, he was also reminded of his hunger, the blood lust pumping through his veins. A shiver ran through him as he thought about it, closing his eyes as he envisioned the ruby liquid that pumped through every human’s veins. It was a dangerous temptation when hungry for any vampire, especially when in the company of humans. Not to mention, it didn’t help having Allegra so close, even with nearly 100 years of practice under his belt. He knew that he could never bring himself to hurt her though. She was far too important for that.

“How long do you plan to stand out here?”

It was Dwayne, the Native coming to stand against the outside wall of the cave, the updraft sending his hair flying.

“Don’t know,” David shrugged. “Figured some fresh air might be a good idea.”

Dwayne remained quiet for a moment as he stood there, enjoying the night air against his skin. It was something that he looked forward to every night.

“You really were worried,” Dwayne voiced, pushing off the wall and coming to stand beside David, his hands shoved into his pockets.

“Shut up,” David muttered half heartedly, turning his eyes toward the sea.

“How long has it been?” Dwayne asked, squaring his shoulders back as he looked up at the sky.

The stars were shining down on them, the moon nearly gone. The place was quiet, despite the commotion going on inside the cave.

“Its been a while.”

Dwayne turned toward him, narrowing his eyes at the half assed answer that he’d been given.

“50 years give or take,” David finally shrugged.

Dwayne knew better though. He knew that David had a rather decent sense of time, merely deciding to ignore it so as not to dwell on it so much. So many things had happened in the time since his turning, personal and otherwise. So many people had come and gone with the decades, it was hard to keep up. Fitting in was an even bigger challenge. Never changing meant staying with the young generations, blending in as best they could. It also meant blending in with the naïve and ignorant as the years went by, but on occasion, interesting ideas would come about. The idea of equality was one of them.

“Do you ever wish you could walk in the light again?” David asked, taking in a steady inhale.

“Sometimes,” Dwayne nodded. “It is what it is though.”

“Hmm…” David sighed. “There’s times when I wish I could still feel it. The warmth of the sun.”

David went to continue when they heard a crash from inside, both men turning toward the noise. It only took them a few moments to get back inside, nearly tripping over Marko as they walked in.

The blonde was on the floor laughing, his face red as he held his sides. The reason behind it was currently rolling around on the floor, a head of light and dark hair mixing together as they went. Dwayne and David watched as Allegra and Paul struggled with one another, the girl’s thighs wrapped around Paul’s neck in a chokehold, one of her ankles tangled with his leg keeping him in place. They were actually a little shocked as they watched, realizing that she had been soaked with water at some point, a bit of her hair sticking to her face.

“Are you done!?” Allegra growled out, holding tight as Paul struggled.

“You wish,” he laughed, tossing them over and flipping her onto her back with a grunt.

“Son of a …” she started, being cut off as Paul straddled her waist, her wrists being shoved about her head.

“You done yet?” Paul grinned, leaning down close to her face.

Laughter erupted from David as Allegra head butted him making him go cross eyed as he fell backwards. Shock was written on his face, before a grin formed, his fingers pressed lightly to his forehead.

“Damn, you’re rough,” Paul laughed, his words being followed by clapping.

xXx

I was a bit confused when I heard the clapping of hands, brows furrowing as I turned my head from my place on the ground. The applause was coming from David, a look of amusement on his face. Sometimes I felt like he was amused by everything, the grin nearly ever present on his handsome face.

I felt my face heat up after a few moments, realizing how I must look at the moment. My hair was stuck to my face, bits and pieces sticking up all over the place due to the pitcher of water that had been dumped on me. It was even worse due to the fact that my shirt now clung to my front, quickly folding my arms over my chest upon realizing how tight it felt.

“It’s his fault!” I exclaimed, pointing a finger toward Paul.

“You guys were great!” Marko laughed, wiping a tear from his eye.

“What the hell did you guys do?” Dwayne asked, walking over and pulling me up onto my feet by my hand.

I stumbled for a moment, but managed to right myself, a chill running through me as the adrenalin started to fade. Damn it was cold in here, the hairs on my arms standing up on end.

“The asshole doused me with water!” I explained, making my way over to the bed so that I could grab a blanket to wrap around myself.

“You’re the one that tripped me,” Paul countered.

“Yeah, after, you made me crack my head on the damn floor!” I narrowed, glaring daggers at him as I slowly touched the back of my skull.

“Well, at least I know you can hold your own,” David laughed, walking over to a dresser along the side of the wall.

“Of course I can,” I scoffed, slightly offended that any one of them would think otherwise.

Again, David chuckled, closing the drawer that he’d opened. He made his way toward me, leaning against one of the wooden posts of the bed. He took a moment to look me over again, reaching out and playing with one of the wet strands of hair that hung low. He rolled it between his fingers a few times, the strands frizzing a bit, before letting it drop back against the side of my neck.

“Put this on,” he said, offering me the shirt that he’d pulled out of the dresser, one of his own.

I took it gratefully, our fingers brushing as he handed me the piece of clothing.

“Um…” I started, looking between him and the others.

He seemed to get the message, drawing the curtains around the bed and turning, a faint chuckle passing through his lips.

After he’d turned around, I started peeling the wet material from my skin, my hair clinging to it as I pulled it over my head. Scrunching up my nose, I tossed the thing to the floor, grabbing the shirt that David had given to me in my hand. I paused for a moment, clutching it to my front as I ran my hand against the fabric. The shirt was soft, caressing my skin gently. Finally, I pulled it over my head with out too much trouble, my hands sliding through the arm holes. It was a short sleeved shirt, but at least it was dry, the article hanging loosely on my frame. It was different than David’s normally form fitted one, but I was obviously smaller in size than he was. In fact, the only one that would even be close to my size would likely be Marko.

The moment the shirt was on, David came falling through the curtains that he’d drawn and onto his back, a grin plastered on his face when I jumped at the sudden intrusion. The bed had shifted from his weight, bouncing slightly, before leveling off. The sight before me though was a normal one at this point.

“What is it with you guys?” I asked, raising a brow in question.

The grin on his face never went away as he folded his arms behind his head. He was always so confident about things, acting like nothing could even really bring him down. His confidence was actually one of the things that I liked about him. He always held his head high, despite what everyone else thought about him or his brothers.

“It’s a hobby of mine,” he told me, giving me a wink.

I gave him a shove in response. He took that as an opportunity to grab my wrist, using the momentum to pull me down on top of him, his other hand pressing lightly against the base of my neck. I couldn’t help, but to laugh as I set there, propped above him slightly with the use of my elbow. I should have seen it coming, but I still let it happen, feeling his thumb lightly brushing my neck with a touch of affection. It reminded me of this morning, taking be back to the feeling of his lips on mine. It was practically an instant connection the moment we met and I couldn’t explain why. We just seemed drawn to one another for some strange reason.

Slowly, I let myself sink against him, placing my head against his firm chest, right above his heart.

“Do you have a heart murmur or something?” I asked, remembering my earlier thoughts from that morning.

“Not to my knowledge,” he said with a shrug, obviously a little confused by my comment as he combed his fingers though my hair, the strands separating with every stroke.

I groaned internally, closing my eyes as I soaked in the feeling. It was relaxing, my muscles easing up. It was hard to believe how soft his touch was, fingers trialing lightly along my skin.

“That feels nice,” I whispered, tilting my head to the side and closer to the palm of his hand.

“You know,” David started, his thumb brushing lightly at the underside of my ear. “As much as I enjoy holding you like this, I’m getting kind of hungry,” he chuckled.

I had to force myself not to frown as I sighed, pressing my nose into his shirt out of frustration. Why couldn’t I just be allowed to enjoy this moment? This one freaking moment of intimate peace?

“Hey.”

 The moment I looked up at him our lips met in a searing kiss, his hand pressing firmly against the back of my neck as he held me to him. Nothing mattered in that moment except the feeling of his lips on mine.


	6. The Watch

**[The Lost Boys]**

**As the World Falls Down**

**Chapter 6**

**The Watch**

A week had gone by and things had gone back to normal. Allegra had managed to go back to work, whatever had plagued her fading away. Within that week though she noticed her mother’s absence. She didn’t catch it right away, coming home each night and eventually falling asleep. At this point, David had taken to giving her rides home in the evening, even if she didn’t stay out late with them. In fact, it was actually David that had pointed out the oddity, realizing that a few things had been moved around in the house.

At first, about midway through the week they had realized that the coffee pot maker had gone missing. She’d been a little irritated by this, looking around the house for it with David’s help. Unfortunately, the blonde had come up empty handed telling her that he’d help her find another one later that week.

xXx

I let out a sigh in frustration as I ran a hand through my hair. I’d been searching my room for the last hour now.

“Where the hell is it?” I ground out, teeth clenching.

I tore the sheets of my bed off in irritation and shook them out. It was nothing, but fabric, nothing falling free from its folds. I moved to the edge of the bed next, gripping the post tightly in my hand as I pulled. The wood groaned for a moment, the weight unwilling to yield from where it had dug into the floor boards over time.

“Damnit!” I yelled, kicking it. “Would you move already!?”

I tried again, digging the heels of my feet into the floor. The frame groaned like it had last time, finally moving a couple inches away. It would have to do.

Grabbing the flashlight that I’d unearthed from my drawer, I shone the light against the wall, checking to see if anything had fallen behind it.

“Well, there’s my hair tie,” I muttered, scanning for anything else.

There were a few crumpled receipts, a bit of lint and dust. I could make out a random shirt that had gotten stuck, reaching down and fishing it out. The thing looked like it’d been there for a month, the fabric looking a little worn. It was actually one of my work shirts.

“It’s got to be here somewhere,” I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck.

Standing up, I placed my hands behind my head, biting down on my lip. I chewed at it, trying to think of where it could have gone. Normally, I left it on my nightstand, that way I could put it on after taking a shower in the morning since the humidity normally made me sweat at night. This time though, it was nowhere to be seen, making me wonder if I’d accidentally laid it down somewhere else by accident and forgot. It made me wish that I had a way to phone the guys, that way I could find out if I by some chance left it back at the cave somehow.

Having enough with looking, I decide to give up for the time being. I can wait until later when I see David and ask. With any luck, he would have it with him.

xXx

“Hey, Aaron, what’s up?”

Aaron turned around to look at me as I stepped inside, a smile on his face.

“It’s about time you got here,” he joked.

“Well, excuse me,” I laughed. “I didn’t know I’d been requested.”

Aaron threw his head back in laughter.

“I was looking for my watch,” I said, explaining things after a moment.

“Your watch?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I couldn’t find it and for the life of me, I can’t think of where I could have put it.”

“You didn’t leave it here did you?” he asked.

“No.”

I knew for a fact that I didn’t leave it here last night. It just wasn’t possible since I’d gone home with it.

“I had it when I left,” I told him, rubbing my wrist absently.

“Well, did you take it off when you were with the guys?” he asked, raising a brow in thought.

“No,” I said again.

“Well, what about…”

“Aaron!” I groaned. “I told you I had it last night. I’m pretty positive that I laid it on my nightstand, but now I can’t find it.”

“Huh.”

Aaron stood there for a moment, no doubt trying to come up with an answer for me. I watched as he opened his mouth, only to close it a moment later, then repeating himself a second time.

“I got nothing.”

I let out a breath of air at his words, running a hand over my face. I didn’t wear the watch all the time, but that was beside the point.

“Why’s the watch so important anyway?” he asked, wiping down the counter at the bar.

I watched as he wrung the cloth out after a minute, rinsing it back out to rid it of grime.

“It was my dad’s,” I sighed, removing my jacket and placing it on a hook in the back.

It kept it out of the way, placing it up in the back. Plus, it kept it away from nosey customers.

“Damn,” Aaron muttered.

“Yeah.”

Honestly, I’m not really sure why it bothered me that much, but it did. I didn’t really have anything of my dad, the watch being one of the few things that he’d left behind when he’d disappeared. Recently, I’d taken to wearing it, a few of the links in the titanium band having been taken out a few years ago. Prior to that, it’d been far too big for me to wear properly.

“Are you sure you didn’t just lay it down or something?” Aaron asked, moving to the back to grab some ice from the cold room.

“Yes, Aaron!” I ground out. “Now stop asking!”

Damn, he could be annoying some times.

xXx

I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The watch had been on my mind all day long and I still couldn’t decide on what could have happened to it. It was actually starting to upset me. My thoughts were momentarily placed on pause as David walked through the door, Dwayne following behind him as the bell above the door sounded.

“Evening, Princess,” David greeted, hands shoved in his pockets as he made his way over to the bar.

I walked around the counter to meet him, hands in front of me.

“Please tell me you found my watch?” I asked, brows furrowed as I clasped my hands in front of me.

“Your watch?” he asked, the look of confusion obvious on his face.

“Yeah,” I nodded. “You know, that big clunky thing that I wear around my wrist?” I explained, even though I knew that he knew what a watch was. “It tells time and Paul said it was ugly?”

David snorted in response, remembering Paul’s comment.

“You still had it when I dropped you off,” he told me.

Hearing his words, I felt my shoulders slump. I already knew in the back of my mind that this would be the case. Still, I had hoped that I was wrong.

“Damnit!” I hissed.

Quickly, I turned on my heel and headed out back, the back door slamming behind me. I was so mad. How could I have lost it? It was my dad’s. I don’t even know how it was possible to have lost it. The house wasn’t even big enough to really lose anything in, much less the space of my tiny room. Had I truly been that careless? Had it fallen off and gotten stuck between the floor boards? Maybe it had fallen in the toilet? Could I have somehow managed to flush it?

I gripped my hair in my hands, fingers curling as I pulled. It was driving me crazy. Tears welled up in the corners of my eyes as I pressed my back against the wall, the bricks pressing against the points of my spine painfully. My face was hot as tears rolled down the edge of my jaw, shining as they fell to the ground at my feet and bursting to pieces. My breath was now labored and I let myself slide against the rough exterior of the building behind me, pulling at the fabric of my shirt. Out of frustration I buried my head between my legs, curling in on myself.

My shoulders shook as I set there. In fact, I was so absorbed that I barely registered the sound of gravel being displaced, the crunch of stone approaching. A grunt followed with the ruffle of cloth and I found the outline of a pair of boots staring back at me. The boots stayed where they were, unmoving after they’d cemented themselves to the ground.

“Hey.”

My shoulders stiffened, flinching slightly as I sat there. I didn’t want to acknowledge them right now, far too irritated with myself.

“Allegra…”

It was David, the blonde letting out a sigh as his hands reached forward gripping my shoulder.

“Look at me.”

His voice told me that he wasn’t asking, my breath catching in the back of my throat. I wasn’t used to that. Drawing up a bit of courage, I peered through my hands, head tilted down as I peered at him through my lashes.

“Hey. Don’t give me that half ass shit,” he growled, nails curling into my skin in warning.

Biting my lip I finally turned my head to look at him properly, sniffing as my nose ran a bit. I felt embarrassed now.

“Now, tell me what’s wrong,” he said firmly, the pressure from his nails easing up as he allowed me to pull back slightly. It was hard trying to meet his gaze, those icy blues staring back at me. They were telling me that he was growing impatient at my silence. I couldn’t blame him though. I’d probably be frustrated with me too. Wait, I already was.

“My watch,” I swallowed, lips parting. “I-I can’t find it.”

David seemed to process my words for a moment, letting them run through his head.

“Where was the last place you had it?” he asked calmly.

“I don’t know,” I said quietly, shrugging my shoulders. “I don’t know anymore.”

“Allegra,” he ground out, giving my shoulder a small squeeze to recapture my attention.

It worked as he gave me a serious look, eyes flitting over my face, lingering somewhere in the middle. It left me unsure of exactly where he was looking. Was he looking at my forehead to make me think he was giving me his full attention? Was he really looking me in the eyes, demonstrating his respect? Or was he staring at my mouth, leading to distraction?

“I was hoping that maybe you had it,” I sighed, finally lifting my head fully and locking my teary eyes with his own.

“Well, we can get a new one,” he said.

I shook my head, wiping my eyes. I think I was more frustrated than anything at this point.

“No, I can’t,” I huffed.

“Okay…?”

He was obviously confused. Then again, I couldn’t blame him. It wasn’t like he knew any different.

“It was my dad’s,” I explained, groaning as I pressed my forehead into the side of my arm.

The whole thing had given me a headache at this point, the blood pounding painfully in my ears as I tried to push everything out. I’d _never_ been that careless with my things in my life. Never. It just wasn’t me.

I heard him sigh, watching as he ran a hand through his short hair. He looked perplexed now, sucking in his upper lip with the use of his teeth. Again, I was reminded of how sharp thady were, a chill running through me.

“I’ll double check the cave,” he told me. “My memory isn’t always 100%”

I felt my lips pull slightly, a small smile forming as he tried to cheer me up. In the back of my mind though, I knew that his memory was just fine. I’d been the careless one.

xXx

It was about an hour later that we found ourselves back at the cave. David had ordered everyone to start combing through the cave, searching for the slight chance that we might actually find my watch. I still wasn’t very optimistic though. Especially, since we both knew it wasn’t there. Still, it would help to take my mind off of things.

xXx

David grunted as he rolled the toolbox away from the wall, checking behind it. It was ‘heavy’. Unfortunately, there was no watch under there. As he pushed it back, he tried to sort through his head, thinking about when he’d seen her with the watch. It had been the previous night.

Initially, Allegra had joined them for about three hours, eventually deciding that it was time to head home for the night. For her, it was late, unlike how things worked for them. They were normally up at night until the very moment that the sun began to rise in the sky. Allegra, given her schedule, wasn’t able to stay awake for that long.

He remembered the slightly clunky piece of gears hanging from her wrist, but it had been nowhere near loose enough to simply just fall off without warning. Even as he’d pulled up to her house, she still had it on, the links pressing against his shoulder as she climbed off.

David began pulling the couch apart next, Dwayne helping Allegra root through the bed, turning the mattress over. David pulled the cushions from the couch, tossing them to the floor. It wasn’t stuck under them. Running his hand between the crease and folds of the fabric, he tried to feel for anything. He found a random chopstick at first, continuing to look. There was some change buried, along with some lint, and random candy wrappers. He nearly cringed when his hand met something sticky, pulling it back and shaking off a piece of chewing gum.

Looking over his shoulder, David watched as Allegra rustled through things under the bed, Dwayne sitting close to her as she pushed things out to him, letting out a yelp when she knocked her head on the frame. If it hadn’t been for the circumstances, he might have chuckled at her misfortune, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, she was sulking while trying to find her watch.

Thinking back on things again, David realized that the watch had been attached to her wrist when they’d migrated inside of her house, talking for a bit longer as she got ready for bed. She’d taken her shoes off first, removing her socks and stuffing them inside. After that, she’d gone into the bathroom, brushing her teeth and changing into a pair of loose shorts and a tank. It wasn’t until after that did he recall her undoing the clasp and laying it on her nightstand beside the bed.

“It’s not here,” he said more to himself than anything else. “Allegra!” he called out, roughly stuffing a cushion back into place, before turning in her direction.

At first, he wasn’t sure if she’d heard him or not, watching as she pushed herself away from the bed. Her hair was a mess, hanging down in her face, the ends sticking out a bit.

“Allegra!” he called again, watching as her head snapped in his direction.

He had to swallow the lump in his throat when he noticed the spark of hope in her eyes.

“It’s not here,” he informed her, a tone of finality in his voice as he spoke.

Hearing this, he watched as her shoulders slumped, gaze falling down to her hands. He could see the look of defeat on her face as tears started to well up in the corner of her eyes again. He hated seeing her cry. In fact, he found it unnerving.

“I’d like to go home now,” she sighed, slowly pushing herself up off of the ground.

They all watched as she dusted herself off, not really having the energy to meet anyone’s gaze. It was sad, but there wasn’t really much that anyone could do. Marko surprised them though when he came over to her, pulling her into a hug. He said something to her, but she merely shook her head, heading outside. Once she had left, the others looked at each other, a little unsure of what to do. They were at a loss.

Letting out a sigh, David ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. He’d have to take her home and hopefully figure things out from there. With any luck, perhaps he’d find her watch there. Maybe it’d just fallen off and ended up underneath of something.

xXx

Upon getting back to the house, they went inside, heading upstairs into her room. David had pulled the door back up into its place, eyes trailing the room as Allegra stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. He could hear the sound of water running as he walked around the room, trying to see if anything was out of place. It was a little odd as he turned a few things over eyeing a few papers as he noticed that they were bills. He couldn’t understand why she was the one with the bills though. Shouldn’t her mom have been paying them? Thumbing through them, David realized that most of them were overdue, different ones already having incurred interest as a result. Shaking his head, he laid them back down where he’d found them, his eyes scanning around the room.

He stopped by the bookshelf at the side of the wall. She kept some of her records there. Crouching down he ran his fingers over them, brows furrowing as he realized something. A couple of the records were missing. As he looked around the room he realized that they were nowhere in sight at all.

Standing from his spot by the bookshelf, he felt his jaw tighten, eyes narrowing slightly as he strode over to her nightstand. He wrenched the draw open, bits and bobs rolling and bouncing about like a pinball machine. He found himself rooting through it, any spare change that she had now gone. It didn’t make any sense. Sighing, he slammed the drawer shut, plopping down on the bed. He let himself fall back, glancing up at the ceiling as he mulled things over in his head. No doubt, Allegra hadn’t even realized that it wasn’t just her watch that was missing. It was like a random thing here, a random thing there, that way one likely wouldn’t notice right away. He wasn’t even sure that he could bring himself to point it out to her. After all, it wasn’t like he had taken anything and the only other person that would be able to get in or know where anything was would be…

Slowly, David pushed himself up onto his elbows, realization dawning on him. Granted, he didn’t have any proof, but it was the only thing that made sense at this point in the game. They had an addiction. When they needed their fix, what did they do? Her mother had been stealing from her own daughter. It would also explain the couple of other things in the house that had gone missing like the coffee machine.

“I’ll be damned,” he muttered, turning his attention to the bathroom when Allegra finally came out.

She looked a little better now that she’d had a shower, but he could tell that she was still out of it, carefully making his way over to her.

“Hey,” he breathed out, gently taking her into his arms.

She didn’t really respond at first, standing there almost mechanically as he pressed his forehead to hers. He knew that he definitely couldn’t tell her now. Not tonight anyway and not until he had solid proof in his hands to back up his accusations.

“Allegra,” he whispered, running his thumb over her cheek.

He watched as she closed her eyes, giving a shaky inhale. Her mind was still a whirlwind, though now, it was mainly the aftermath of said whirlwind. It left a shiver to run through her spine as she tried to make sense of everything. She just couldn’t seem to process things the way that she normally could while upset.

“Hey,” he breathed out, cupping her face between his hands. “Everything will turn out alright,” he promised, his words a little out of place for him after all these years.

It was something that he never thought he would get around to saying again, much less to a woman like Allegra. At the same time, it made him feel a bit more human.

xXx

He told me that it would be alright, that everything would get better. I didn’t know what to believe though. Yes, I wanted to believe his words, but at the same time, I just didn’t believe that they were valid. Anyone could say that things would be okay, that it would be alright. It didn’t mean that it would actually work out that way though. Those were the thoughts that ran through my head as I laid there curled up on my bed, my sense of awareness fading in and out as time passed by. I vaguely remember David sitting with me, hand gently rubbing my back. Eventually, my eyes closed for the last time and I found myself falling into the dark embrace of my subconscious.

xXx

Proof. Evidence sufficient to establish a thing as true, or to produce belief in its truth.

That’s what he was looking to achieve. If he could find that then he’d be able to validate his suspicions. At the same time though, he was silently hoping that he was wrong. Over the past couple of weeks, he’d noticed a change in things having to do with Allegra’s mother. She’d been home a few times when she normally wouldn’t. In fact, it was about midway through last week that he’d actually seen her. Her hair had been greasy and her skin was pale. She’d smelled off, smelling oddly enough like narcotics. The strange thing was, this in particular wasn’t one that he was overly familiar with. The blend had smelled faintly familiar, but only just. It had initially sent him for a loop actually, making him wonder what he was smelling. He was used to smelling the almost medicinal smell of pot. What he’d smelled back at the house though was something that he’d occasionally only caught whiff of down around the seedier spots of the board walk. In fact, the Surf Nazi’s were notorious for the smell.

It was then that he made the connection, momentarily pausing in his stroll on the boardwalk. He had already known that the woman was smoking stuff, but he hadn’t realized what else she’d been doing. The sad part about it was the fact that it was extremely addictive. A handful of the people he’d fed on had been completely laced with the stuff, tainting the flavor all together. One of the guys had nearly made him sick after feeding, leaving a rotten taste in his mouth.

It was a little unnerving, realizing that Allegra’s mother had somehow gotten hooked on the disgusting substance, abusing it no less. Unfortunately, he also knew that these situations never turned out well for anyone involved. Still, it left the real question to be asked. How long had she been on it? After all, half the time it was a tossup on if he would go inside or not depending on how tired Allegra was. If she wasn’t too tired, then he’d normally go up to her room with her, laying down on the bed and talking. Occasionally, she’d play one of her records and they’d just lay there and listen to music.

“Watch where you’re going,” a guy said as he walked into David, throwing him off course by a few degrees.

It took him a moment to right himself, narrowing his eyes in irritation. He’d almost made it to the end of the boardwalk, looking in at different shops. There were several pawn shops in the area, each one selling something different. Looking in, he saw a few guitars on display. There were a few mannequins in some of the shops, some of them dressed up in the current fads.

It was actually funny, having seen how much society’s taste in clothing had changed or rather, what they deemed to be cool or ‘in’. There was always something weird though, whether it was clothing or hair. Even he’d admit that some of the styles had been a bit out there, the women’s ‘beehive’ being one of them. It just didn’t look right. The 20’s had been the odd ‘flapper’ routine. The 50’s and 60’s was similar to his current fashion, with the leather jackets and ‘tuff’ clothing. He could have done without the poodle skirts though, since he found them rather nauseating. Or the polka dot phase. What the hell had that been about? The 70’s was a little strange with all the hippies, bell bottom pants and afros. Now you had the ‘rock look’ and big hair or mullets in his case. Eventually he would have to change it though, but for now, it was staying as it was.

Pushing that from his mind, he stopped in front of one shop in particular. At the front, it had a showcase of jewelry. There were rings, necklaces, bracelets and such. There was one necklace that caught his eye. It was a little gold pendant with a brightly shining opal stone in the middle about the size of a pea. In the lamp light, it reflected all sorts of colors back, even with the glass in the way. He stopped that when he spotted something oddly familiar, a watch.

“Son of a bitch…” he growled out, pressing his hands against the glass.

Looking up, he took in the name as on the sign. T & E Pawn. The place was closed for the evening, having closed at around 10. If he wanted proof, he’d have to wait until tomorrow, despite how much he wanted to just break the glass and bring the watch back to her at that moment. She’d just have to wait a little bit longer.


	7. Suspect

**[The Lost Boys]**

**As the World Falls Down**

**Chapter 7**

**Suspect**

Light flooded the windows the next morning. The sun’s rays warming the ground. Slowly, the light stretched into the attic window, the light creeping along the floor boards. The same light managed to reflect against the back of my head, warming my hair and pulling me from my sleep.

Slowly, I peeled my eyes open, blinking back the blurriness as I bit back a yawn. I allowed myself to stretch, carefully raising my arms behind my head as I laced my fingers together and arched my back. There was a resounding pop that echoed through the room, a groan slipping passed my lips at the feeling. My muscles twitched as I sat up, rubbing my eyes with the heel of my hand.

“I hate waking up,” I muttered, tossing my feet over the side of the bed.

The second my feet touched the ground I flinched, a reminder that I needed to put down a mat or piece of carpet. The wooden floors were just a bit too cold for my liking at times. Finally deciding to stand up, I made my way into the bathroom, closing the door behind me for a shower.

xXx

“Another Mega Burger coming up!” I called out, retrieving food from the counter and making my way back onto the floor.

Once three o’clock had hit, we’d been getting customers out the wazoo. They were coming left and right from the boardwalk, piling inside for food and drink. It was a Friday and that meant booming business for the place. Unfortunately, it also meant a long night for me.

Dropping off the plate of food in my hands, I made my way to another table to take the groups drink orders. It was a set of Friday night regulars. The men normally drank until they were falling over, but normally left me a decent tip for my service. As a result I always made sure to wait on them with the best service possible.

“How are you guys doing tonight?” I asked, brushing my hair back as I took out my notebook and pen.

They all smiled at me, a few of them sitting back in their chairs.

“Well, I’d say pretty good, now that you’re here gorgeous,” one of them said, grinning up at me.

His name was Tom Harolding. I’d actually gone to school with him and he was quite the flirt at times, with bright white teeth and long dark hair. It had always been neatly groomed, a hair tie keeping it back occasionally. His toned muscles had also drawn in admirers in school and even now.

“Well, I’m glad that I could help,” I laughed.

“You know, the two of us should hang out sometime,” he said, giving me a charming smile. “Maybe down to the boardwalk and some ice cream?”

“I don’t know,” I said hesitantly, rubbing the back of my neck.

It was a nice offer, but I didn’t want to give him the wrong impression by accepting. I mean, he’d always been an all around nice guy and I knew that he’d never force me into anything, but I just wouldn’t feel right. If it weren’t for David, I might have agreed. Heck, had he asked while I’d been with Mark, I would have taken him up on the offer in a heartbeat. I didn’t want to take the chance of hurting David though, despite how strong he seemed. Granted, we weren’t ‘officially’ dating, but I felt that I still owed him a certain amount of respect when it came to how I handled certain aspects of my personal life.

“It’d just be as old friends if you like?” he finally said.

“We’ll see, Tom, but I don’t want to piss off the guy that I’ve been seeing recently.”

Hearing this, Tom nodded his head. He gave me a smile as he looked to his friends, giving a nod of the head.

“Alright, get us a couple of beers each and some of those famous burgers of yours,” he said.

“And do you guys want any fries?” I asked.

“Chilly Cheese!” one of them called out.

It was Chuck, one of the old jocks from school. He’d graduated a couple of years before us, but the two had grown up together as neighbors, becoming the best of friends.

“Okay,” I nodded my head, writing everything down on my pad. “So, six of our house burgers, twelve beers, and an order of chilly cheese fries. Anything else?” I asked.

“Yeah,” another one called out. “Can we get an order of potato skins too?”

I nodded my head in response. I think his name was Mitchell or Mitch for short. So, writing that down too, I gave them a nod and turned to the kitchen to put in their order.

“Hey, Rick, I got six of our house burgers, an order of chilly cheese fries, and some potato skins,” I called out, placing the ticket on the clip over head.

“Well, get your little ass back here and put on some gloves,” he told me.

“Chilly is in the pot in the back on the burner,” he explained as I walked into the back.

I pulled a pair of gloves from the container, pulling them on with a small snap of the rubber.

“You know what to do with the fries and the cheese is in the pump.”

I nodded my head as I pulled out a plate. I took it with me over to the fryer, putting it down into the oil for a few moments, until they were nice and golden. Normally, he would par cook them, putting them down after the order was placed, that way the fries didn’t sit and get cold.

Once I felt that they were ready, I dumped them out onto the plate after shaking the oil off. I went over to the pot of chilly next, grabbing the ladle and drizzling it on top of the fries. I had to pull my head back slightly as the heat rose, putting the lid back on after I was finished.

“All you need is three,” Rick called, referring to the cheese as I walked to the pump.

I did as instructed, giving it three squirts of cheese. A lot came out, reassuring me that three was all that was needed.

“Burgers will be done in about five minutes. Another five for the potato skins.”

“Alright, I’ll let them know,” I said, taking off the gloves and tossing them into the trash as I took the plate of fries with me.

Walking back out, I had to avoid being knocked into, lifting the plate above my head as I maneuvered around people. This was definitely one of our busier nights, that’s for sure.

xXx

The sound of bikes echoed through the night as the group of four road down the boardwalk. They’d talked prior to heading out, each of them agreeing to head out into different shops. They wanted to check to see if there was anything else that they recognized, David giving them each a small list of things that he knew for a fact were missing. True, the boys had been inside her home a hand full of times, but David was the one that knew the most.

“Alright, we’ll meet back here in 30,” David said, parking his bike and getting off. “And remember, don’t forget to ask questions.”

With that, the group split up, heading out in different directions. David knew exactly where he was headed though, T & E Pawn staring back at him toward the end of the strip. He wanted to know exactly how that watch had come to end up in the window.

Once his brothers had disappeared inside the shops, he made his way down the strip, hands shoved in his pockets. He had a wad of bills shoved in his pocket, the pieces of currency nestled inside an old leather wallet he’d picked off a body a few years ago. Each of them had something similar. Up ahead, the lights buzzed, the electricity dancing inside the neon sign.

David’s eyes narrowed as a bell chimed above his head, glancing up for a moment with the idea of crushing the thing in his hand. He always hated those things as the trick of surprise was taken away. He ignored it though as the owner of the shop looked over at him.

“Ah, how may I help you?” the man asked, coming out from behind the counter.

“Actually, I’m looking for something for a girlfriend of mine,” David explained, trying to remain laid back.

“Oh, a young lady,” he nodded. “I believe I may have a few things,” he said, guiding David over to one of the display cases. “I just got some new merchandise in a few days ago.”

David nodded his head as he continued this game of his.

“I’m looking for something rather particular,” David said carefully, rubbing his chin. “Anything on the simple side?” he asked. “I don’t want anything too gody.”

The man nodded his head in understanding, explaining that he had a simpler display near the window. Pulling the display free and sitting it out in front of David. At this, David pulled a couple of pieces free, examining them in his hand. One of them had been the Opal piece that he’d seen from the night before. Now that he could take a closer look, he realized how beautiful it truly was.

“I think I’ll take this one,” David finally said, letting the golden chain dangle from his fingertips, the light of the shop reflecting off the face of the stone. “Also,” he paused for a moment, walking over to the window and plucking Allegra’s father’s watch from the display. “I have a few questions for you regarding this watch.”

The tone of his voice through the owner for a loop.

“Alright, what’s your question?”

“Firstly, I’d like to know if you have any security cameras in here?”

Now, that had really thrown the man for a loop.

“Yes, I do,” he said firmly. “And if you cause any trouble I’ll have more than enough proof to prove it.”

David merely laughed at the man’s response, spinning the watch around his finger.

“Well, I’m in need of a bit of proof my own self,” David told him, stepping forward and placing the watch down on the counter alongside the necklace.

“In case you didn’t know, you’re in possession of stolen property.”

The man behind the counter froze upon hearing David’s words.

“I’m pretty sure you don’t want to get involved in this. Especially, since by buying said stolen property, you provided a drug addict with money.”

The man cursed, biting down on his lip. He was at a loss.

“Now, if you give me the footage of who sold you this,” he started, pulling the wallet from his pocket. “Not only will I still pay you, for both might I add, I won’t report you for not doing your research first.”

Looking down at the wad of money David had tossed onto the counter, the man licked his lips, deciding on how he wanted to handle things. He could go ahead and take the money, giving the young man the tape and forget about the whole thing, while technically losing a potential profit with the one who’d been bringing stuff in. He could also go to jail for knowingly buying stolen property if the footage panned out as the kid had told him. Weighing the options, he took the first one, reaching out and plucking the wad of cash off of the countertop.

“I’ll be back in a moment,” he said, giving David a nod, while the latter pocketed the watch.

While he waited, David took the time to admire the necklace once more, running his thumb over the stone in the center. He could practically see her with it around her neck, Allegra. Between the watch and that, he was sure that he’d manage to find a smile on her face. The only thing was, he’d have to play it off like the watch had suddenly turned up. He didn’t want her knowing that he’d stumbled across it in a pawn shop of all places. Then, she’d wonder how it had come to be there and he was pretty sure that she wasn’t up to hearing the truth at the moment. No, he’d wait to tell her the truth. He’d wait until he had enough evidence to not only prove to her the offenses of her mother, but anyone else that was likely connected. When that happened, he’d be able to correct part of the problem.

“Here it is.”

David looked up as the store owner walked back into the room, tape in hand. He felt a smirk pulling onto his face as he placed the necklace in his breast pocket, stepping forward to take the video tape from the man’s hands.

“You have my thanks,” David nodded, reaching to take it.

The man pulled it back at the last second, a glare setting on David’s face.

“We’re in agreement about no unwanted trouble, correct?” the man asked, raising a thick brown eyebrow in question.

David responded with a curt nod of the head, reaching to take the tape again. Like before, it was pulled just out of his reached and he had to refrain from hissing at the annoying man out of frustration.

“And?” David ground out.

“Enjoy yourself,” he chuckled.

With that, David snatched the tape. He had other things to do at the moment and he didn’t really feel like sticking around. With any luck, the others had managed to find what they were looking for.

xXx

As David had assumed, the boys had gone through the shops. Though quiet as he was at times, Dwayne had made sure to carefully comb through any records that he had found, inquiring about Bon Jovi, a somewhat recent album that had come out. He’d also asked around about an album by Twisted Sister called _Stay Hungry_. They were albums that she’d gone and brought to the cave for them to listen to, _We’re Not Gonna Take It_ being one of the most popular of the bunch for the group. Another one had been Cher’s _Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves_. They’d all gotten a bit of entertainment out of that one, Paul having taken the time to grab her by the hands and spin her around the room. In fact, that record had been another one that was missing, including one of her Elvis pieces.

Paul and Marko had also inquired about the records, combing aisles in different shops, trying to find out if any recent pieces had been brought in. By the time they met back up, each had an item in their hand. David had obviously found the watch, the item in question being held up triumphantly as he made his way toward the others, a grin on his face. Marko had found the Bon Jovi album that Dwayne had been searching for, while the latter had found an Elvis album and Rod Stewart’s _Camouflage_. Paul’d been left with unearthing Twisted Sister’s _Stay Hungry_ and a random album by Bowie. Each though had also managed to acquire a surveillance tape, toting them proudly to David as the group gathered closer.

“Any of them say who sold them everything?” David asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

The blonde looked around at his brothers, watching as Marko stepped forward to speak first. The youngest of the group looked a little irritated, holding up two separate tapes.

“Well, I got a couple of half assed answers,” Marko said. “But I did manage to convince them to let me have these. One said some guy had come in, kind of shady looking, but that doesn’t really help.”

David nodded in agreement, along with the others. Quietly, Dwayne held up his find, Paul doing the same.

“Think we should try Max?” Paul asked, pulling his tape from the waist band of his pants and holding it up. “I mean, we’ve gotta find some place to go through them.”

It was quiet for a moment as they stood there, debating on if it was a good idea. After all, Max still had no clue about Allegra. In fact, David wasn’t sure if he wanted him to know. He could only imagine what his reaction would be and he didn’t want any harm to come to her. At the same time, the most that Max would likely do would be to order them to turn her. After all, the man had always whined about the fact that he’d wanted a ‘daughter’ in all this mess when it came to the boys.

“Do we really have a choice?” Dwayne asked, looking over at David for a moment.

Said blonde stood there quietly, mulling things over in his head as he tried to weigh the pros and cons indirectly bringing their little problem to Max’s attention. If they went elsewhere, David would be able to keep Allegra to himself for a bit longer. Max would occasionally pay them a visit, but it was extremely rare as he normally had _them_ visit the shop under the pretense of a group of noisy and rowdy teens, ‘kicking them out’ a few minutes after coming inside. It was his way of making sure that things were still going okay among the group, allowing a short and quiet conversation of the minds as the boys browsed the store for a few minutes, while Paul normally flirted with Max’s cashier.

Shaking his head, David ran a hand through his hair, tugging slightly before letting it drop. He didn’t want to take it to Max, but he knew it wouldn’t matter eventually.

“We’ll take it to Max,” he finally conceded, drawing in his bottom lip before biting down. “I don’t want any of you to say anything though,” he ordered, looking at each individually. “Keep your heads clear and let me do the talking.”

xXx

To say that things were uncomfortable was an understatement. As the group had walked into the video store they split up, keeping their hands in their pockets. The look on Max’s face was one of confusion, the older man fixing his glasses as he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. His boy’s had never come in so quietly before, normally shoving the door open and striding in without a care.

Realizing that something was up, Max turned toward Dwayne, narrowing his eyes as he tried to read him. He was a little surprised when he came up empty handed though, the previous looking toward the others momentarily before trying to read them as well. Each one was blank, leaving a feeling of irritation to well up inside of him. He didn’t like the idea of them possibly hiding something from him.

“ _David!_ ” Max hissed, making the younger male nearly wince as his voice echoed in his mind.

David stood strong though, squaring his shoulders and holding his head high. He wouldn’t be intimidated, even if it was by his sire. As a result, Max narrowed his eyes, stepping toward the blond and grabbing him by the arm.

“In my office,” Max said quietly, pulling David along as the others roamed around the store.

Deciding not to fight with him, David went along, the door closing behind them as Max pushed him forward.

“Now, would you mind telling me why the four of you are as silent as the dead?’” he questioned, pun not intended.

It was silent for a moment as David stood there, his back pressed up against one of the walls in the office. Max was standing in front of him, a look of irritation on his face when he didn’t say anything.

“Figured we’d stop by and pay you a visit,” David said simply, digging into his coat pocket.

His fingers brushed the tape as he stood there, deliberately selecting his words just to irritate Max.

“Don’t be smart,” Max said thinly, not wishing to deal with their games.

“We need to use a VCR for a bit,” David finally told him, pulling the tape from his coat pocket.

“And why pray tell should I let you play around with my things?”

“Need to look into something.”

With that, David winced, eyed screwing shut as Max suddenly forced himself into his head. It was like a knife, the pain deliberate as Max pushed to put the younger vampire in his place. After a minute of this though, Max finally relented, his brows furrowing in question as he eyed David. He’d seen images of a young girl, the two of them walking down the boardwalk. He’d seen snippets, the two laughing, the girl had a smile on her face as she spun around with Paul. They’d kissed.

“Who is she?” Max asked, slowly folding his arms over his chest. “And don’t lie.”

Swallowing, David nodded his head, wetting his lips before speaking. He didn’t want to make things worse.

“Her name is Allegra.”

“How long have you known her?” Max asked, raising a brow in question.

“I don’t know,” David shrugged. “A couple months or so?” he offered.

“And she’s still alive?”

David flinched. He knew that it would come up the moment Max realized how long things had been going on. As the oldest of the four boys, David was always careful. He rarely left someone alive after spending time with them. Then again, it wasn’t like Allegra actually knew what they were. The girl had absolutely no clue as to what they truly were. In fact, David was still a little fearful of what her reaction would be concerning that matter.

“Turn her.”

David froze as he stared at Max, his words making his blood run colder than it already was. Had he heard him correctly?

“You heard me,” Max said firmly.

David swallowed the lump in his throat, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly. This is why he didn’t want to come here, the possibility of Max’s words hanging in the air.

“I’ll let you use the VCR, but you heard what I said,” Max told him. “A week I could understand.”

David remained silent as he stood there, listening to Max speak.

“You’ve kept her alive for far too long David,” he pointed out. “So either kill her or turn her, but I want it done. We can’t risk exposure.”

Outside, they could hear something being knocked over, a growl of irritation leaving Max’s throat as he tore the door to his office open. An entire shelf of VHS tapes had been scattered across the floor, Paul laying in the middle of everything.

“Sorry,” the blonde squeaked, a nervous look on his face once he caught Max’s gaze.

To anyone else, the look Max was giving Paul would have been construed as exasperation. Paul, Paul knew better. The look was one pure irritation. It had been all too obvious that Paul had been eavesdropping. Now, he’d made a mess and made things all the more difficult where Allegra was concerned.

“Take one of the VCR’s and go,” Max said. “And remember what I told you.”

xXx

Everyone was silent as they strode back outside, putting distance between them and the video store. To say that things were tense was an understatement. The second that David had exited Max’s office, the others knew that something had gone wrong. In general, David was normally quiet to a degree, but he was never so stiff. It was like his back was a sheet of stone, the muscles in his shoulders taut as he walked ahead of the others. He’d been the first one out of the store, shoving the VCR into Paul’s arms.

“Hey, wait up!” Paul called out, trying to catch up as he stumbled.

He made the mistake of getting close enough to see the blonde’s face. David’s eyes had turned hard as ice, his gaze piercing and sending a chill of dread down Paul’s spine. Normally, any other look on David’s face wouldn’t have bothered him. At the moment though, his brother looked ready to kill and rip someone’s throat out. His victim for the night wouldn’t even see it coming.

“Paul,” Dwayne bit out, grabbing the younger vampire’s shoulder.

He shook his head, a quiet order to stay back. David wasn’t one that was overly violent on a normal basis, but this wasn’t under normal circumstances. In reality, outside of Dwayne, David was the most patient out of the four of them. After nearly 100 years, he had to be.

“ _What did he tell you?_ ” Dwayne asked, making sure to keep the conversation between the two of them.

“ _It doesn’t matter,_ ” David grumbled.

“ _David?_ ” Dwayne pressed, prodding as lightly as he could.

“ _I said it doesn’t matter!_ ” he hissed, fists clenching at his sides. “ _It never matters what I want!_ ”

Dwayne froze at his words as a few of the pieces fell into place. Over the years, Max had been rather forward about expressing his dislike of any of them attempting to take anyone into their group when it came to women. As a result, they’d never been allowed a steady girlfriend. Max was very particular in those he deemed worthy to be part of the family. Even though the man had always expressed interest in having a female presence around-he wanted a daughter-in hopes of mellowing the boys out a bit. He didn’t want just anyone though, which led Dwayne to believe the worst. At the same time, Dwayne realized that David’s reaction would have been far worse if Max wanted her gone. A moment later, it dawned on him.

“ _He wants her turned?_ ” he questioned, watching as David flinched, indirectly giving him his answer.

xXx

She was beautiful. Her smile seemed to light up the very room. He’d been watching her for nearly an hour now, just watching. He couldn’t bring himself to approach her, not after Max’s orders. He could still hear his cruel voice in his head as he walked out, the acrid taste of his threat hanging on the tip of his tongue.

“ _Either you turn her or kill her_ ,” he’d said, before finishing. “ _And if you don’t… I will, David_.”

Swallowing the lump in his throat, David fingered the necklace in his pocket. He was almost tempted to throw it into the ocean at this point. He thought back to her haunting smile, how the corner of her lips turned up when she looked at him. He could feel his hands shake as he leaned back against the rigid wood of the railing overlooking the beach. He didn’t want this.

At the start of it all, David had contemplated turning her, even offering her the ‘wine’. When she’d declined, he’d found out later that he was actually glad for it. He didn’t want to just force that kind of life on her. It wouldn’t be right. Not to mention, she’d likely hate him for it. He didn’t want to go through that. He couldn’t live with the possibility of her hating him. At the same time, he didn’t want her to not be in his life. He couldn’t kill her. He didn’t have it in him to do so.

Growling, he turned around, slamming his fist against the railing. Inside, he could hear the sound of her laughter. A man had made a joke, flirting with her. The sound caused his blood to boil, teeth sinking into his lower lip until it bled. Perhaps, he should let her go, send her elsewhere? No. David shook his head. Max would find her and when he did, he’d kill her without any shred of remorse. It didn’t matter if his eldest ‘son’ was falling in love. It didn’t matter if he’d found someone to be his ‘mate’.

“Love…” he whispered, the foreign word clinging to the wet appendage that was his tongue.

Was this what love felt like? The urge to protect what was his, despite the possibility of not being able to have it. Was that why he now hesitated in turning her?

“You guys have a nice night!”

Her voice met his ears, eyes turning back around.

“David?”

He watched as her brows furrowed in confusion.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, walking toward him, her arms wrapped around herself.

She shivered for a moment as she came to stand before him, her lips turning upwards as she looked him over. When he didn’t answer, she reached a hand out, brushing his cheek as her thumb ran over the soft skin of his lip.

“You’re bleeding,” she whispered, her other hand rising up as she pressed her sleeve to his lip, blotting the blood.

“You’ll ruin your jacket,” he told her.

Allegra merely shook her head, stroking his cheek as she dismissed his warning.

“I don’t care.”

He frowned as he stared at her, his dead heart clenching in his chest. He almost felt human in his despair, eyes glinting as they stung ever so slightly.

“Allegra,” he breathed, taking her hands in his as he pulled them away from his face.

They were warm, the blood inside of her constantly circulating. What right did he have in taking that away from her. She still had such a long life ahead of her. Perhaps even a husband and children.

David froze momentarily. Children. How he’d thought of them when he was human. He’d been nowhere close to finding anyone at the time, but it had still been in his mind. It’d all been taken away when the earthquake hit though. He’d been crushed underneath a pile of rubble right inside the lobby of the hotel. His lungs had filled with dust and the lack of air at the time was suffocating him. When Max had found him, he’d barely been conscious, his thoughts fading in and out. The man whom was now his sire had saved him instead of killing him. He never told him how lonely his new life would be though.

“David?” Allegra whispered, frowning as she stared at him.

“I… I have something for you,” he told her, letting her hands drop as he reached into his pocket.

He bypassed the watch all together, ignoring it for the time being. His fingers curled around the chain of the necklace instead, palming it in his hand.

“What is it?” she asked, eyes wandering as she looked over him, unsure of what it was.

“Close your eyes,” he said softly, watching as she complied after a moment, right brow quirked questioningly.

“I won’t bite,” he laughed, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Still, she was apprehensive, but she let a small smile slip and that was enough for him as he brushed her hair to one shoulder.

xXx

A wave of warmth washed over me as his hands brushed against my skin. The feeling was almost sensual in nature, leaving me tingling as I stood there with my back to him, his hands gliding over my shoulders, his breath caressing the flesh of my neck. It was when his lips pressed against my skin that I felt my breath hitch in the back of my throat, heat rising in my cheeks.

“David,” I breathed out, involuntarily leaning against him.

I heard him chuckle, before the feeling of metal met the warm flesh beneath my neck and slid across my collarbone.

“You can open them now,” he told me, wrapping his arms around my waist as he rested his chin on my shoulder.

As I looked down, he pressed a chaste kiss to my jaw. Taking the item in my hand, my eyes widened in shock, lips parting as I brought it up in front of my face.

“David, I…” I started, barely able to speak.

My eyes watered. In all my years, I’d never seen such a beautiful stone. At the same time, I’d never been much of one for jewelry, but I’d never really had any to wear. After all, we’d never really had the money to spare for something as frivolous as jewelry. I mean, yes, I had my ears pierced, but even then, they were but crappy steel studs. If I was lucky, in a few years I might be able to save up enough money to buy myself a decent pair of earrings. What I held in my hand though, it took the cake. Seriously, it did.

When I’d opened my eyes and looked at it I found the thin gold chain, a small pea sized stone seating in the center of a tiny gold pendant setting. The stone was mainly white, sporting sprigs of red, blue, green, and yellow depending on how it was turned in the light. It was something that I knew as opal. This one was white in nature, but the stone itself came in many different forms and varieties. Personally, I always found the blue and red ones to be gorgeous, but it was a beautiful stone regardless of the color that it openly showed.

“How? Where did you…?” I couldn’t seem to find the words as I stood there, my back pressed against him.

“It’s just something that I happened upon in one of the shops,” he told me, a small smile on his lips as he held me just a little bit closer.

“It’s beautiful!” I exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

No one had ever given me something so beautiful. I’d never even gotten jewelry for my birthday. As a result, it was a rather large shock for me. At the same time though, I realized how quiet he was being. It was so unlike him.

“David,” I began, slowly turning around in his arms. “What’s wrong?” I asked, bringing my hands up and cupping his face between them.

He didn’t respond at first, his eyes closed. He refused to look at me for some reason. Leaning forward, I sighed, my hands coming to rest against the sides of his neck. My feet were finally starting to hurt, the heels no doubt red right now along with the balls of my feet.

“David…” I groaned out, lifting my head to look at him. “Please?”

He lifted his eyes for a moment before closing them and turning his head to the side.

“Don’t give me that half ass shit,” I said firmly.

He snorted in response as I used his own words against him, the corner of his face twitching upward as he tried to fight back a smile.

“Funny,” he chuckled, pressing his forehead against mine for a few seconds.

I watched as he drew in a deep breath, presumably calming his nerves before letting it out.

“Sorry,” he apologized. “I’m just a little tired.”

I nodded my head in understanding, but I didn’t fully believe him. He was never tired at this time of night. As a result, it left me wondering what had put him on edge. Nothing even seemed to bother him.

“How about we go back to my place and you can lay down for a bit?” I suggested, giving his hand a squeeze. “We could just relax for a couple of hours.”

xXx

Her suggestion to rest for a couple of hours had been taken with great consideration, the two finding themselves sprawled out on her bed together upstairs. It didn’t take long after arriving before they had laid down on the bed, David closing his eyes as he laid with his head on her chest, her fingers running through his hair. It was that feeling, the feeling of her fingers against his scalp, massaging it. That’s what had anchored him back to the ground, his muscles slowly relaxing and unwinding.

He was still reminded of Max’s threat though and once again he was filled with an unnerving sadness. His heart dropped into his stomach when he realized that her ministrations had ebbed, her eyes closing with sleep and the comforting warmth that her body had created beneath the sheets pulling her in. He didn’t want to think of how it would feel to lose that, to live each day without the feeling of having her by his side, running her hand through his hair. To any other vampire, their meeting-their time together-was a mere blink of an eye. It was nothing when weighted against the years spent alone and immortal.

Things were made even worse with the fact that her life could be snuffed out as easily as a candle, the light fading in her eyes as color fled from her skin. It’d be all too easy, a snap of the neck or even a hand to the throat leaving her struggling for air. There were a number of ways that her life could be ended, forfeited from the measurable scales of the living. It wasn’t a simple matter of dying of old age or disease at this point.

Reaching his hand forward, he allowed his fingers to brush the pale flesh of her arm, trailing it from the elbow down to her hand. It was almost magical, the way that the hair began to stand on edge, goose bumps forming at the follicles. He repeated the action over and over again, watching her body’s reaction, a faint moan rising inside of her before breaking free from her barely parted lips.

Downstairs, the boys had made themselves comfortable, the VCR plugged up to the little TV that the mother and daughter owned. They were going through the footage one by one, looking for the evidence that they needed to rightfully accuse her mother for the stolen property that was Allegra’s. It had been David’s orders, shortly after the two had arrived, quietly instructing the others to park the bikes at a distance so as not to draw attention. He didn’t want Allegra knowing what they were up to. Not quite yet. Still, it wouldn’t make much difference if she knew the truth. Allegra’s relationship with her mother had been strained for years. The two barely saw each other, the younger of the two busying herself with work, her own plans having gone to the wayside after having graduated. She’d felt like there was no true place for herself in the town or anywhere else for that matter. As a result, she kept working, using it as a means to drown out the internal depression that she was fighting, hiding it from those around her.

The feelings of loneliness had come about at the age of eight. When she’d turned 13, she realized that her mother would never truly be there for her. Her 16th birthday had been a bitter day of resentment spent by herself in her room, a lone cupcake sporting a single candle as it was extinguished with the slightest breath of air. Her first kiss had been complicated and confusing, the advances made afterwards sending her running. For her 18th birthday, she’d spent the evening with a case of beer, finally deciding to say the hell with things and get drunk. It had been a lonely existence and she didn’t want it to continue that way.

When she’d met David and the others, something had sparked inside her, lighting a forgotten candle and illuminating the dark recesses of loneliness. It had secretly been a breath of fresh air, filling her with a sense of warmth and comfort. It was a strange situation, but it had managed to make her smile, lifting her spirit if only just slightly.

“ _I think we found something._ ”

It was Marko, the curly haired youth having nearly dozed off due to extreme boredom. Remaining in one place for so long wasn’t his thing. He didn’t have much patience for it. Despite that, he’d kept his eyes open, switching off with the others as they went through the tapes while playing game after game of cards. Poker had been among them.

Groaning, David carefully pushed himself up off of the bed, Allegra’s hand falling to the side with a soft thump. He rubbed the back of his neck as he stood, turning and looking back at her. She was sound asleep at this point, her head tilted to the side. Her eyes fluttered beneath her lids in slumber. He could only imagine what she was dreaming about in there.

“ _What did you find?_ ” David asked, sighing as he descended the rickety old ladder.

“ _If you hurry your ass up, you might find out,_ ” Marko snickered.

The younger of the two yelped in surprise, the sound being muffled as David clamped a hand over his mouth.

“Shut up! She’s sleeping!” he hissed in his ear, irritation obvious on his face.

Paul snickered over in the corner, finding the whole situation funny. He went quiet though when David threw a menacing look his way after.

“Now, what did you find?” David asked once more.

He pushed Marko away from him in order to take a seat on the couch. The dusty piece of furniture smelled like cigarette smoke and cheap alcohol. At some point in time its color had likely been a powder blue, the cushions now dark with brown and black stains.

“It wasn’t just her,” Dwayne said quietly, rewinding a small section of the reel before pressing play again.

They watched as a man somewhere in his late forties walked into one of the shops with Allegra’s mother, his hand riding low on her back. Once they were fully in frame, they could tell that he had dark hair that hung close to his neck, pock marks littering the side of his face. The skin shined a bit, indicating that he had a somewhat oily complexion. There were bags under his eyes, some indicative to lack of sleep. More than likely, he spent most of his time outside on the streets hustling what he had.

As the two made their way to the counter they exchanged words. There was not audio. With no sound, it was impossible to tell exactly what they were saying. Allegra’s mother seemed strung out though, stumbling slightly as she held onto the countertop for balance. The man beside her pulled out a couple of records from under his arm, laying them on the countertop haphazardly. For a few moments, his fingers lingered, his lips moving without producing sound. They were negotiating a price.

“Did he show up anywhere else?” came David’s question.

He had a frown on his face as his eyes remained glued to the screen, committing the image to memory. He wanted to be able to recognize the man if and when he finally came across him. God help him if he ever crossed paths with the blonde. The drug pusher would be ten feet under instead of the normal six for all that he’d managed to add to their problems. If he was lucky, he might even get to keep his head.

“I saw him one other time,” Paul admitted, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “He wasn’t selling any of our stuff though.”

“Where was this?” David asked, ejecting the tape before laying it on the couch beside him.

“It was at this shop a little further on the east side… Holter Brother’s I think.”

David sat there for a moment, running over things in his mind as he tried to place the shop that Paul was talking about. If he remembered correctly, it mainly sold guitars. He’d never seen Allegra with a guitar before, so he could only assume that she didn’t own one.

“I think it was this one,” Paul said, popping another tape in and pressing play.

They all watched as he forwarded through it, the screen fuzzing up as it tried to keep pace with what was playing. People came and went on the screen, figures pacing back and forth as they examined options for possible use. They couldn’t play just any guitar. No, it had to be to their tastes, their preferences and specifications. The same went with any instrument, each was unique and it was for that reason that so many people came and went through the shop.

“There!” Paul exclaimed, leaping forward and smashing the pause button with his thumb. “That’s him.”

David narrowed his eyes, stroking his chin thoughtfully. They’d managed to find him, but now they had to figure out the connection with the pawn shop.

“Press play,” David instructed, leaning forward on his knees, elbows pressed firmly as he watched the screen flash back into rolling motion.

This one was also missing a key piece of audio, but most pawn shops only needed the video part of it as it provided an added aspect of protection in case of theft. The man behind the counter had a name tag on, but it was blurred due to the quality of the equipment. Most places only had the minimum required security in place for their businesses, unless they catered mainly toward the buying and selling of jewelry. Lowan’s was one such place, dealing in fine gold and silver. David even wondered momentarily if he should have gone that route for Allegra.

“I think I’ve seen him somewhere before,” Dwayne said quietly, referring to the man that had been in the previous frame.

“I think you’re right,” Marko nodded. “That time over off Rosewood Place when we were messin’ around.”

Dwayne chuckled in acknowledgement. They’d actually been following a couple of girls, ending up tipping over a few trashcans and redecorating the inside of some poor saps car. It had been a fun night for the two, but in the end they had come up empty handed with the girls they’d been following. That didn’t mean that they hadn’t run into a bit of trouble though. At the back end of the neighborhood there’d been an old house, random people coming and leaving. Several people were laid out on the porch either smoking or drinking. It was there that they’d first seen the guy, following someone outside as he patted the guy on the shoulder, pressing a small bag of pills into his hand.

“It’s probably where he sets up shop at,” Dwayne pointed out.

“Someone mind filling me in here?” David ground out, looking between the two of them.

“Sorry,” Marko cringed, scratching the back of his head. “They’ve got some Surf Nazi’s over by Rosewood Place,” he explained. “Neighborhood’s a bit run down, but the chicks are hot.”

“And you never took me with you?” Paul whined.

“Oh, shut up,” Marko scoffed. “You’ve got plenty to look at here.”

Paul whined again, sitting in the armchair like a dejected puppy. It would have been funny had David not been so irritated with things at the moment.

“As you were saying?” David huffed, wanting to get back to the previous conversation.

“It’s pretty much a place for junkies and anyone looking for a fix,” Dwayne finished explaining.

“So, you’re telling me that this guy is likely the main supplier in the area?” he mused, trying to decide what to do with the new information.

It was good to know if they really needed a ‘fix’ of their own as most of these people had no place else to go. In fact, if he had to take a guess, it’s likely where Allegra’s mother spent most of her time. If it wasn’t, then he’d be surprised, but he was pretty sure. Now, they just had to decide when they’d make their move. It was obvious that they couldn’t let her mother see David. If she did, she’d likely realized that something was off. That was something that could throw everything out of wack.

A creak from upstairs let them know that Allegra was waking up to a degree, the sound of her groggy voice reaching their ears. She called out to David, the others snickering as a result. The source of their laughter let out a hiss of annoyance before making his way back upstairs.

“ _Stay quiet and keep looking_ ,” David told them. “ _And when you’re done, make sure everything is back where you found it._ ”

With that, the blue eyes blonde made his way back upstairs, making the most of the time that they had together before she was ripped away from her life and possibly his as well.

 


	8. End of the Line

**[The Lost Boys]**

**As the World Falls Down**

**Chapter 8**

**End of the Line**

Over the next two days, plans were made. Each of the four brothers had taken turns watching the house where Dwayne and Marko had happened upon nearly a year ago. They watched as both men and women entered the exited the house. Some who entered never came back out. They’d hear odd noises from time to time. They would range from crazed laughter to overly played sexual orgasm. The latter of the two made them laugh, shaking their heads at the stupidity of the mortals of this generation. Then again, Paul was no better at times, said blonde watching with a lit blunt hanging from his lips.

At the same time, David tried to make peace with himself, holding on to the shred of hope that Allegra might actually decide to stay with him. The ratio wasn’t a good one from what he’d seen in the past, but with any luck, he’d be able to wean her into it. David himself had been a mess upon being turned, the blood lust that he felt becoming overwhelming. The blood lust wasn’t the only problem he’d run into though. His emotions had gone haywire when he’d realized how alone he was. Ultimately, his family had been killed in the earthquake. He’d found their bodies a couple weeks later after countless hours of sifting through rubble. His little brother had been crushed along with his mother and father in the elevator, the rope system having snapped as a result of the sheer magnitude of the quake. When he’d realized this, he’d gone crazy, locking himself away in an attempt to starve himself.

For vampires, emotion was a dangerous thing. Anger was the worst. An unstable mortal usually meant an even more unstable vampire. In his previous life, David had been a fairly stable individual. On occasion he was quick to act, but always slow to anger. That had been a saving grace for him after he was turned. So many things had irritated him as he tried to move on with his life. Initially, he’d lived with Max, the elder watching over him and teaching him. There had been so many things to learn, but due to his age, they tended to butt heads fairly often. Max wanted a family-sons, daughters, and a wife-but David had already had one. It was something that you couldn’t just forget and leave behind, even if they were dead. He never understood how Max thought he’d be able to call him Dad. He’d had a father, one with a heavy hand, but a father nonetheless. At his age, at the age of almost 22, no one could take the place of his father.

As more time went by, David found himself drawing away from Max, much to the elder’s disappointment. He didn’t feel the need to live in the man’s shadow. Ironically enough, David had made his way back to the hotel. He spent his nights and occasionally days, moving rubble and clearing out the entrance to what had been buried. That hadn’t been until about ten or so years after the fact though. Still, he needed something to do with his time as he had no one else to spend it with. Meeting people was pointless as no one seemed to understand him.

It wasn’t until years later he came across Dwayne. The young Native had gotten into a brawl as a result of his ethnicity. He’d managed a knife wound to the stomach, walking for almost two miles before finally falling to his knees along the beach. It was there that David had found him, the waves lapping at his bare chest, blood streaming down and staining his ratty pants. It was a sad sight, but Dwayne never complained about the pain. He stood strong, staring out at the waves as the life seeped from his very veins.

David had taken pity on him, offering him a second chance at life. He’d offered him the strength to live, to preserve the spirit that his people had given him. It didn’t take much convincing and within a few days, David had attained a blood brother. It was the first bit of real company that he’d had in years. Despite Dwayne’s quiet demeanor, the two got along well, talking from time to time, but mainly keeping one another company. It was a luxury that neither had been privy to in a long time. It was the simple pleasure of company that allowed David to be himself again, feeling alive in a way, instead of alone in the dark.

He knew that if Allegra turned, she wouldn’t be alone. She wouldn’t have to venture this dark existence by herself. She had four people that were more than willing to guide her and she’d never have to feel alone again for the rest of her life. Unfortunately, David knew that it wasn’t that simple. She’d have to learn to feed, accepting her new born nature and affinity for blood. Acceptance was always a large part and problem in the equation. It always complicated things. One couldn’t just be turned and have that be it. They had to come to terms with things if they wanted to live. David just wished that it didn’t have to be forced on her. Then again, what was she really living for anyway?

For so long, she’d fended for herself, taking care of things on her own. She was providing for her mother, since her mother couldn’t provide for herself. It was a sad reality, but a reality nonetheless. She’d wanted a way out of things and perhaps this would become her out. He could only hope that she’d be able to live with that option. He hoped that she’d be able to live with him. He needed her to. After everything he’d been through over the years, he needed this one thing to go his way for once.

It was for this reason that he was letting her drag him around the area, a smile on her face. She’d been excited when he’d told her that he was hers for the evening, the others having gone off to do their own thing. In reality, they were off keeping tabs on her mother and her ‘wonderful’ friend. She didn’t need to know that though, so he didn’t tell her. In other matters, he also planned to give her father’s watch back to her that night.

xXx

“Come on, David!” I laughed, pulling him along as I headed toward the Ferris wheel.

They’d just made some new modifications to it and I wanted to try it out. I hadn’t been on it in years and I wanted to take this chance to enjoy it.

“David,” I whined, tugging on his hand again. “I want to try the Ferris wheel.”

“Alright, alright already,” he finally conceded, a faint smirk on his face as he tossed his arm over my shoulders.

He pulled me close to him, his body pressed up against mine as we walked. I didn’t mind in the slightest though, enjoying the physical contact. It was refreshing really, having him by my side. Especially, after the other night when he’d been ‘tired’ as he’d put it. He seemed livelier today in general, the normal confident stride back in his step. He seemed to have his confidence back all together.

“Why are you so excited anyway?” he asked, turning his head to look at me.

“Well, I have you with me, so why wouldn’t I?”

That seemed to get him, his mouth hanging open slightly as he processed things. I merely grinned like an idiot, my smile showing off my teeth. They were a little dull in my opinion, but that was likely due to the tea and fruit that I normally ate. Occasionally, I would use a little peroxide and baking soda to brighten things up. I didn’t really like the taste of it on my tongue though.

xXx

They were switching off again when they heard it, the distinct chatter of a familiar voice. A group of Surf Nazi’s had stumbled into the neighborhood. Most of them were drunk, chatting precariously as they held onto one another in a poor attempt to maintain what little balance they had. It was sad really, watching the group as they shoved one another. Normally, they were all pumped up and ready for a fight, their senses at least somewhat more alert. At the moment, none of the boys were even sure if the idiots could even see straight.

“You guys thinking what I’m thinking?” Marko grinned?

xXx

We’d made it to the top of the Ferris wheel, the breeze fluttering as our seat rocked back and forth. It was hard to believe just how high up we were. It also made me grateful that I wasn’t afraid of heights. From our spot up at the top, I could see most of the boardwalk, the people down below milling around in a sordid mess. It was like a jigsaw puzzle, never knowing where to start since you have too many pieces. It doesn’t help either most of the pieces normally look the same.

“I don’t remember the last time I was up so high,” I breathed out, blinking as I leaned over a bit in our seat, inevitably causing it to rock back and forth due to the shift in weight.

“I take it you’re not afraid of heights?” David asked, raising a blonde brow in question.

“No,” I shook my head, before leaning back in my seat, head turning skyward. “It’s never really bothered me that much.”

“Hmm…”

David had nodded his head quietly, but didn’t say anything more. Instead, he placed his arm back around my shoulders, pulling me to him.

“Have you ever seen so many stars?” I asked, resting my head on his shoulder.

I felt him draw in a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as he adjusted himself in his seat next to me. He turned to me after a moment, a thoughtful look on his face.

“It’s actually a lot better without all of the lights,” he explained. “Spend a night out in the countryside and you can see everything.”

“This coming from experience?” I poked, a smiled on my face, finding it a little hard to believe that he could have ever lived out there.

“Of sorts,” he nodded, looking out at the town. “Believe it or not, I wasn’t always here in Santa Carla,” he told me, imparting a bit of information about himself to me.

His statement managed to grab my attention, making me wonder about the rest of him. This was the first time that he’d actually let me in about anything openly personal concerning his life.

“Really now?” I inquired, looking over at him as the ride moved unexpectedly.

No doubt they finished loading people up, the metal contraption finally moving on its own, the gears groaning as they went.

“I grew up in the country,” he confided, catching me by surprise.

I never would have pegged him for a country boy, not with the way that he dressed. Even the manner that he held himself wasn’t any indication. In fact, it was anything but. No matter how gruff he seemed at times, I never would have been able to guess at the truth. It just didn’t seem to fit.

“And where was that?” I asked, closing my eyes.

“Well,” he started. “It was a little place outside of Bakersfield out in Kern County. It wasn’t too far from the old tracks.”

I let his fingers brush the top of my scalp, combing through my hair as I sat there and listened, picturing what he was telling me.

“My parents owned a small plot of land compared to others. It was a few acres worth.”

He continued to talk, a smile on my face as I listened to the sound of his voice. His voice was like velvet to my ears as he spoke of his childhood. As a boy, he’d helped his parents on a farm, growing up with a mother, father, and little brother. At the mention of his family, he grew solemn, but that didn’t stop him from talking. He told me how they’d breed work horses, selling them off to other farmers. Apparently, this little side business ran in the family, something that had been started by his grandfather. His father had taken over when he was old enough and the family fortune had prospered. David was meant to do the same at the time he would have come to age. He explained how everything had come to an end though, his parents and younger brother having died in a car accident a few years ago. It had left him to move here with his uncle and that’s where he’d met the others one by one. A kinship of sorts had formed between the four of them and had found themselves living with one another.

“Tell me about your brother?” I asked. “What was he like?”

xXx

“Tell me about your brother?”

David stiffened at her question.

“What was he like?”

It had been years since he’d thought about little Gabriel. In the back of his mind, he could still picture the tiny blonde, a smile on his face as he hung on David’s arm.

“When Gabriel was born, he was this tiny little thing,” he explained, closing his eyes at the memory. “My mom was almost afraid to touch him because he’d arrived early.”

 Back then, they didn’t have all the medical advancements that they did today. Normally, when a baby came into the world that small at that point, they didn’t survive the week. His mother was terrified that she’d lose him. They’d tried many times for another child after David. A sister had been born prior to Gabriel, but she was a still born. His mother had been heartbroken. He remembered his father shedding a couple of tears for the baby they’d lost. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much that they could do back then. As a result, when Gabriel had come into the world, their mother had braced herself for the worst. There was no way that the baby would survive.

He explained all this to her, trying to keep his emotions at bay. He didn’t like thinking about the family he’d lost, the pain still fresh in his mind. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever fully get over it, but over the years, he found himself thinking about it less and less. Looking down, he found her curled against him, hugging his arm tightly. They’d been on the ride for what felt like forever. Still, he didn’t mind it so much as he turned, brushing her cheek with his thumb. He wanted so much to be able to tell her the truth, to tell her everything, but he knew that he couldn’t because she wasn’t ready for something like that. Not yet.

xXx

“You see what all I see?” Marko growled.

“Yeah,” Dwayne nodded.

The group of Surf Nazi’s were a familiar group. Mark and his brother were among them. At this point, Mark looked even worse than he had the last time they’d seen him.

“How often do you think these guys come here?” Paul asked, having come back not too long ago after finding himself a nice little snack.

“Wipe your mouth,” Dwayne instructed, catching sight of the dried blood at the corner of the blonde’s mouth.

Paul merely grinned, but still did as he was told, wiping the corner of his mouth. He would have preferred to leave it there, but that was him. The sight had made the other two hungry and they weren’t ready for the hunt just yet.

“If I had to take a guess, Mark’s addition is fairly more recent an addiction than the rest of them,” Dwayne concluded.

From what he had gathered at the start of things, Tom had already been hooked on something. His personality was a little too sporadic and his judgment seemed off at times. Not to mention, the smell that seemed to roll off of him in waves. That was also what had tipped him off at the hospital. Mark had a very particular smell to him at the time that was all too easy for the four of them to notice. They just couldn’t pin point exactly what he was on. David has his suspicion that it was some sort of coke, a lower grade perhaps that was laced with something secondary.

“His brother probably got him started on it,” Dwayne muttered.

He almost felt bad, realizing that Mark had allowed his own brother to drag him down so far. As they sat there in the shadows, the trio listened in on the brothers conversation, the other Surf Nazi’s adding to it.

“Cheer up brother,” Tom said, giving Mark a heavy pat on the shoulder.

They watched as it nearly knocked him over, snickering as he barely caught himself. He looked back at his brother in frustration, but Tom merely ignored it.

“She’ll come around eventually,” Tom assured him. “But for now, we’re gonna pick a couple of things up, then head down to the beach.”

“You need to learn to lighten up a bit Mark,” one of the guys said, pushing passed them and into the house.

The two brothers stayed outside for a moment as the others disappeared, talking between themselves. They were speaking in hushed voices, but they’ve still managed to catch part of it.

“She’ll never come around,” Mark ground out.

“Then make her.”

They watched as Tom leaned forward, gripping his brother by the shoulders. Mark tensed where he stood, his brother leaning closer. He whispered something in Mark’s ear. They couldn’t hear it, but something about his words caused Mark to stiffen, a smirk forming on Tom’s face as he pulled away. He’d said something, that much they knew. Whatever it was though, it wasn’t good. At that point, the other two followed the rest into the house, the door closing behind them.

xXx

“Getting hungry yet?”

I looked over at him as he spoke, a small smile on my face.

“I don’t know,” I shrugged, biting down on my lower lip momentarily. “Are you?” I asked, turning my head to take a look at him.

I watched as he stood there for a minute, rubbing his chin in thought. He was debating on something in his head, deciding on what he wanted to use as an answer.

“I would say Chinese, but we always get that.”

I laughed at his answer and so did he. I shook my head. Somehow, I knew that’s what he would say. The boys seemed to enjoy eating the same old thing for the most part, no matter how repetitive it was.

“Okay, how about this,” I started, grabbing him by the elbows and pulling him to a stop.

He seemed amused as I did this, but I merely brushed it off.

“There’s a little noodle shack down over by my work.”

“Okay…?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe we could take it down by the beach?” I suggested, putting the option out there.

Again, he seemed to think about it. He was drawing it out deliberately, a small smirk forming on his face when I realized it.

“David!” I bit out, smacking him in the arm.

He just laughed, leaning down and pressing the very edge of his forehead against mine. When he still didn’t say anything, I sent a glare of warning his way.

“Sure,” he shrugged, pulling away quickly and walking off without me.

“Hey!” I yelled, jogging to catch up with him. “Would you wait up!”

He didn’t even turn around as he responded, hands shoved in his pockets. The smug little bastard. Was he really just going to walk off and ditch me now? Well, I don’t think so. Quickly, without even thinking another thought on the subject, I ran forward. I tossed myself on his back, wrapping my arms around his neck from behind and as my back bent, he cried out; startled.

“Shit!” he cried out, stumbling forward due to the new weight.

There was a look of irritation on his face as he righted himself, hands reaching back and gripping tightly at my thighs. I squeaked when he pinched one, smacking his arm from my place on his backside.

“Pay back,” he smirked, shifting me slightly before he started walking again.

“You’re the one that tried ditching me!” I pointed out.

David laughed. He looked over his shoulder, the ever present grin still on his face as he opened his mouth to speak.

“Not my fault you’re short.”

My eyes widened in indignation.

“Why you little…”

I had half a mind to smack him, leaning forward slightly until he suddenly let go of me. I cried out, wrapping myself around him instinctively. The sound of his laughter echoed in my ears like a strange melody.

“David…” I whined, holding tightly.

He relented after a few seconds, the weight of his hands returning, hands pressing firmly against the skin of my thighs. I felt my face heat up slightly, quickly burying it against the back of his neck. His grip was light, but firm, one of his thumbs brushing lightly at the top of my thigh, barely missing the edge of my jean shorts. It was higher than I was used to, sending a small spark through me.

“You know…” David started, pausing for a moment. “A noodle shack isn’t much different than Chinese,” he pointed out, deliberately pressing my buttons.

“Well, then it shouldn’t make much of a difference to you then,” I countered, holding on as I laid my head against his shoulder.

He bit out a short chuckle, shaking his head as he continued on, readjusting his hold on me. Oddly enough as we made our way down the strip, I found myself thinking about my father. I couldn’t fully remember if he’d ever carried me like this. I’m sure he’d held me at some point, holding me close to him and cradling me in his arms.

I closed my eyes, trying to picture it. Things were mainly a blur for me, things moving in and out of space. I could see my mother, a smile on her face. She was still a little dazed back then if I remembered it correctly. She was around more often though, playing with me. I faintly remember a set of blocks. We had a stray cat at the time, the fluffy little runt coming and going as he pleased. He had a habit of attacking my blocks, smacking them around the room. He disappeared about a year and a half later though, likely finding somewhere else to take refuge. That was after he’d dug his claws into my side one day.

My father. What I remembered most about him was his smell. As a small child, I remembered him smelling of cigars. Looking back on it now, I realize that it was a nasty habit. Never really cared for the smell of cigarettes, but I cared for cigars even less. David as I came to realize, normally had a cigarette tucked behind his ear. From what I’d gathered over the time, we’d spend together, he wasn’t a heavy smoker, but he still enjoyed the taste every now and then.

Turning my eyes upward, I found that he currently had one tucked behind his left ear. The butt of it was facing me, slightly dented on either side. He’d pinched it at some point, tearing off part of the filter before shoving it back inside. I knew that the reason he’d done it was to make the taste stronger. A lot of people did it, my mother being one of them. She preferred Camel Light’s, saying they were mild. She always had a pack on her. Growing up, I was constantly opening up windows in order to air out the house. Occasionally, I’d light candles, giving myself something else to smell.

“Hey…”

I blinked, the natural husky sound of his voice pulling me from my thoughts.

“Huh?”

“You alright?” he asked, shifting his grip as he let me slide down his back.

The tip of my toes met the ground, shoes pinching my toes as the material bent and kinked at the end.

“I’m fine,” I nodded, clasping my hands behind my back. “I was just thinking.”

“About?” he questioned, looking down at me.

“Just thinking,” I shrugged, stepping in line to order my noodles.

I could feel him behind me, his shadow lingering. He didn’t say anything really as we finally ordered our food. Once it was paid for, we left, heading down to the beach.

“So…” he breathed out, trying to start up conversation.

“So?” I smirked, ducking my head and inhaling.

I closed my eyes as the steam rose in my cup, spiraling and dispersing as it met the night air. It was nice, having something different for a change.

“Wise ass,” he bit out, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“You love it,” I laughed, dancing around as the breeze from the water came rushing up to meet us.

It had been a while since I’d actually been able to get out and enjoy myself. All I ever did was work and work and work. I never really got the chance to truly relax. Inhaling, I pulled the salty air into my lungs. I could almost taste it on my tongue as my lips pulled into a smile.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were enjoying yourself,” David teased, shoving a bite of noodles into his mouth.

I shook my head as he slurped them deliberately, easily drawing my attention.

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you any manners?” I asked.

For a moment, he paused, his chopsticks frozen in front of his mouth. He was thinking about something. His eyes were fixed in the distance, staring out at the endless waves crashing against the sand.

“My mother taught me many things,” David assured me, taking another bite of noodles and swallowing. “I just never caught onto some of them.”

I decided to kick off my shoes, peeling my socks off with my toes.

“I’m sure you caught on to enough of it,” I shrugged.

The sand was damp beneath my feet, the tiny grains sticking to every available inch. I could feel it between my toes, curling them and uncurling them again and again. It almost felt like a game of sorts, digging my toes into the sand and scooping a section up. I tossed the clumps of sand away with ease, watching it separate and fall back to join with the rest. It was almost a subconscious reaction as I avoided digging my heels in. About half way through, I completely forgot about my noodles. I’d set the cup in the sand, arms outstretched as I tiptoed across the beach. Each step seemed to coincide with a wave, the bump, bump, following with the pressure in my ears.

Further down, I could hear voices, a rowdy group laughing as they walked the length of the beach. I paid them no mind though, spinning around and pivoting. I was enjoying myself. I was enjoying the time that I’d been given with David.

“Come on,” I called out, gesturing for David to join me.

He stood there, watching me, debating on what he wanted to do. All he had to do was take his socks and shoes off, lay his coat and jacket down, and unwind. It was that simple.

Finally, after about a minute, I watched as he shrugged his coat and jacket off, the material peeling off of his arms like a second skin. He let it drop to the sand with a thud, a few pieces of sand flying up on impact. His shoes were next, bending over and unlacing them. I watched as he pulled them off one by one along with his socks. Just like any other time, I was still shocked at how pale some of his skin was. His feet were always covered. His arms on the other hand, well, they were mostly covered. Still, he had plenty of muscle to show off, the muscles in his arms flexing as he placed his boots up right alongside one another.

 He seemed to watch me with a look of pure intensity, the sound up the beach growing louder. Whoever it was didn’t have much consideration for the public. Still, I pushed it from my mind as he made his way forward. The sand didn’t seem to bother him at all as it stuck to the bottom of his feet.

“Better?” he asked, stepping toward me.

I nodded my head, grinning as he came close. I was so tempted to grab him by the front of his shirt and shove him into the sand. The look on his face would be well worth it. I could almost picture it, David’s face covered with sand as he sported a look of annoyance. God, I felt like such a bitch. At the same time, I knew that he’d likely go after me, tormenting me until I gave in. At that point I’d likely be on the ground myself, sand covering me from head to toe.

“Come on,” I grinned, running toward the waves.

I shivered as the water hit my feet. Despite the time of day, it wasn’t ice cold. Still, it was cold enough to send a chill down my spine. I jumped when I felt a pair of hands, turning and finding David standing there. There was a look of amusement in his eyes, but I didn’t see the same amount of mischief twinkling in their depths. For me, it meant staying dry at least. Any other time, I might have been dripping wet.

“Jumpy,” he teased.

His mouth was at my ear as he spoke, his hot breath caressing my skin. I found myself sighing in contentment, closing my eyes and leaning back against him. His hands intertwined in front of me, resting against my stomach and holding me in place. It felt nice, comforting as he held me there. I had only just noticed that he’d removed his shirt as well. It was like fire where his bare skin met my lower back, his nose pressing into the crook of my neck. His lips brushed my pulse, sending a shiver of excitement through me and an involuntary groan to escape my lips.

“So…” he chuckled lowly, kissing my neck again.

His nose brushed the edge of my ear, lips ghosting across it. A laugh erupted from my throat. It tickled almost, sending a sensation of warmth through me. It was nice, something that I wasn’t use to feeling.

“So…”  I smiled, mimicking him, lashes fluttering.

“Still thinking?” he asked, moving his lips from the shell of my ear back down my neck.

I jolted slightly at the feeling, a sharp inhale of breath meeting my lungs. It was like electricity running through my veins and straight to my heart, the distinct thump-thump beating heavily in my chest and ears. I didn’t think that my little heart could take any more torment.

“David,” I whined, groaning deep in the back of my throat.

I was about to turn around when I heard shuffling a little ways away. Strange laughter haunted the night and we both found ourselves turning toward it. I was momentarily met with a flash of red. Tom had entered my vision, a grin plastered on his face. He was waving a beer bottle around, arm looped around some random girl’s shoulders. I felt bad for anyone that was stuck with him. Then again, they’d have to be stupid, completely and utterly lacking any sort of self respect for themselves if they were with him in any manner of the word.

“H-hey!” one of them called out, stumbling forward. “This beach is… beach,” he struggled with the words, the others laughing at him. “This is our turf!” he finally managed to get out, before falling flat on his face.

“Yeah, what he said!” another laughed.

I found myself hiding behind David, my hand curling lightly at the skin of his lower back and side. I never did like Tom and his little group of flunkies. They’d always rubbed me the wrong way, even before the incident from the other month. The man was just far too dominating. It didn’t seem like he’d noticed me yet, his head buried in the neck of the poor woman that had agreed to keep him company. If we were lucky we could avoid confrontation all together.

“David, let’s just go,” I whispered, reaching down and grasping his hand.

“Hey, don’t I know you?” one of them asked, stepping forward as they gave David a rather critical look. “You’re one of them guys,” he muttered, pointing. “Yeah! One of them guys!”

At this point, Tom took the time to finally look over. I had no doubt that he recognized David, his eyes narrowing slightly. Shit had finally started to heat up as he stumbled forward angrily.

“You!” Tom exclaimed. “I know you!”

No shit Sherlock. Of course he knew him, David was one of the reasons that the moron had landed himself in the dumpster with the leftovers. Now, he was standing in front of him with his shoulders bared.

“I thought I told you last time, this is our turf!”

“I didn’t see your name on it anywhere,” David replied.

Oh my god. Please don’t make it worse? I couldn’t handle it if things got any worse. It was already bad enough that we were both outnumbered by the drunk bastards. Standing back, David held his arm out, his hands brushing my arms as he kept me behind him. He knew just as well as I did what could happen with a bunch of drunks.

“You’re one of those shitheads that rode in!” came one with funky hair.

If things hadn’t caught everyone’s attention the first time, that sure did. Turf battles were normal things among groups. It wasn’t a normal thing for someone ‘new’ to turn up though and technically, that’s what David and the others had done. When something like that happened, people tended to remember faces. As a result, the group found themselves parting, Mark appearing among them.

My eyes widened at the look of rage on his face, swallowing thickly as he pointed a finger at David.

“You!” he yelled, walking forward.

I felt David stand straighter, his muscles tensing as he tried to make himself appear bigger. It was a natural thing among males as I had come to realize.

“You bastard!”

“Back off,” David said stiffly, eyes narrowed.

Despite Mark’s proximity, David stood his ground, still keeping me behind him. His attempt at hiding me didn’t last very long though once Mark got close enough. In fact, he became even more irate when he saw me.

“That monster still had his claws in you,” Mark said. “You monsters just can’t leave things alone, can you!”

“I said, back off!” David growled out, pushing him back.

It ended up being a mistake though. Tom had seen this as being an attack on his family, rushing forward and shoving David in turn. David stumbled slightly, his hand coming down and clasping my wrist.

“Don’t touch my brother you bastard!” Tom hissed, pulling a knife from his pocket.

David too a step back when he saw this, his whole body tensing up. An idiot with a knife was never a good thing.

“Come on, why don’t you try it again,” Tom said, trying to goad him into action.

It didn’t work though, only managing to piss the two off further. As a result, Tom lunged at him, a startled yelp breaking free from my mouth. I found myself in the sand, fear welling up inside of me. David nearly tripped over me as he moved away again.

“Don’t you wanna play?” Tom tormented looking toward his brother.

Without a word, Tom tossed something toward his brother, the younger catching it in his hands. He stood there for a moment, staring down at it.

“I think it’s about time,” Tome slashed forward again, catching David‘s upper arm. “That we teach those pricks,” he lunged again, barely missing that time. “What happens when they try and steal our girls!”

David made sure to keep his distance as I crawled backwards to avoid getting stepped on.

“Don’t think we haven’t noticed how they up and disappear,” Tom growled.

“They wouldn’t disappear if you guys were actually worth two shits!” I shot back, tripping slightly as I pushed myself up. “I mean, have you seen yourselves?”

“Allegra,” David bit out, stepping toward me as I spoke out.

I wasn’t really sure where this new found courage was coming from, but it was bound to get me in trouble. Then again, they were in the wrong. They had not right attacking. Not to mention, it was my choice who I wanted to be with. I wasn’t about to let them try and control that. I wasn’t a piece of property that could be claimed.

David froze unexpectedly, movement coming to a complete halt. A resounding click echoed and I found my blood going cold. Mark stood with his arms raised, his chest heaving as he stood there. It wasn’t until now that I realized what Tom had tossed to him.

“Mark,” I called out, raising my hands slowly.

His hands were shaking, the gun nearly rattling from the movement. I knew for a fact that he’d never held one before. His parents weren’t big on guns, but his brother obviously didn’t feel the same.

“Shut up!” he cried out, trembling. “He took you away! He took you from me!”

“Mark, listen to yourself.”

I spoke slowly, taking a step forward in hope of talking him down.

“He’s a monster! They all are!”

“Mark, you’re high right now and drunk,” I told him. “J-just put the gun down.”

“No!” he pointed it toward me now and I found my feet glued to the ground.

“Hey!” David snapped, pulling Mark’s attention back to him.

“What are you doing?” I whispered, glaring at him.

“Just shut up,” he muttered under his breath as he tried moving closer to me.

“Don’t move or I’ll shoot!” Mark ordered. “This is all your fault.”

“Boys,” Tom barked. “Grab her.”

I shook my head, preparing myself to fight back.

“We’re going to teach this prick a lesson.”

“No!” I shouted, lashing out as two of them grabbed me.

Mark had raised his gun back into position, his finger on the trigger and ready to shoot. I felt something snap inside of me, biting down on the idiot’s hand that had grabbed me. I wasn’t about ready to let this happen.

Things seemed to move in slow motion after that. I wasn’t even thinking as Mark’s finger pressed at the trigger. The only thing that I could do was scratch at my captor’s face. He withdrew, already having been bitten as I pushed forward. I didn’t know how it had happened. The gun went off and the kick back sent Mark to his knees. At the same time, I felt myself falling, a cry lodged in the back of my throat.

“No… No!” David screamed, grabbing me before I could hit the ground.

 I could feel something rising in my throat, the taste of copper hitting my tongue. I could feel the sudden pain somewhere through my back and my chest. I couldn’t breathe and I could barely feel David’s hands pressing against me through the pain.

“Dai…d.”

I couldn’t even get the sound of his name out as I gasped for air.

xXx

The moment it had happened, David had felt his heart finally stop. Where the bullet had hit her, she’d stopped, stumbling from the blow. His voice had disappeared as he watched her eyes go wide., confusion filling her as she tried to comprehend what had happened. Her eyes watered and then she began to fall. He reached for her then, screaming, the force of it tearing at the lining of his throat.

“Allegra!” he choked out, falling to his knees as he held her close.

The bullet had torn through her back and out her chest. It was a through and through, leaving her gasping for air. The pain was tearing her to pieces. She couldn’t breathe.

“Dai…d,” she gasped, hand reaching out.

He grabbed it, pressing it to his chest. He didn’t know what to do.

“You can’t have her,” Mark choked out.

The gun slowly fell to his side, his arm limp, and fingers lax to the point of almost dropping the weapon all together. It was his comment that caused something to snap inside of David. A torrent of rage overcame him, taking place of his sadness. His eyes were flaming red and a trail of bloody tears leaked from his eyes. He didn’t care about pretenses anymore.

“You’re dead!” he roared.

xXx

I could hear them. They were screaming, cries of terror erupting around me. His eyes. His eyes were red. I’d never seen anything like it. The screaming continued, the sound of flesh being torn apart following after. It was a disturbing sound. There was gurgling, a sound that was close to my own. I could barely concentrate on any of it, trying to focus on my breathing as it came out in shallow puffs. I barely had the energy to pull the air in, but I could still hear the almost animalistic growl that had come from David.

I tried to speak, to call out, but I couldn’t form the words. It was as if my mouth had dried out. In reality, it was over flowing from the side. I was choking now, coughing out the blood that had accumulated in the back of my throat. My heart was pounding in my chest. My pulse was pounding in my ears; pulsating.

“Da…” I tried again.

“No… No! Please!”

I heard a resounding crack and that was it. It was silent, the only sound from the waves as they crashed against the beach front. I felt tears well up in my eyes, before breaking passed my lashes and rolling down my face and soaking into my hair. In the back of my mind, I knew that I was going to die. I didn’t want to, not yet, but it didn’t look like I’d have much of a choice.

It was getting harder to breathe, a chunk of spit catching in the back of my throat as I pushed myself to lie on my side. My hands were shaking, adrenalin pumping through my veins. It was starting to dissipate though and I found the edges of my vision blurring. Even with all this, I could still make out those glowing eyes. They were like hot coals on a chilly night, glowing and pushing forth heat to warm the body. These ones didn’t seem to be able to warm me though as a shudder ran through my body and a bloody cough tore through my throat. Still, it was those glowing eyes that lit up the darkness and pulled me from my lethargic stupor.

“Da… David?” I heaved, pressing my hand against my chest.

I tried to put enough pressure against it to stop the bleeding, but it kept seeping through my fingers.

“Don’t move,” his voice was low as he ordered me to stay where I was.

His feet were a blur to me   as he moved toward me. My head was on the ground at this point, eyes closing as I tried to stay awake. My mind was growing tired as I laid there, praying to god that he’d spare me. I was finally starting to enjoy life and here I was bleeding out on the beach.

“Open your eyes.”

Slowly, I peeled them open, blinking as I tried to find him. His eyes made it easier, but even those were starting to blur. I watched as he knelt down in front of me. His face was different, cheeks caved slightly. His brow and jaw looked sharper and those eyes. I felt him press his hand to my cheek, cupping it against his palm. It seemed warmer to me, an involuntary groan pushing passed my lips.

“Wh… are… you?” I managed, closing my eyes again.

When he didn’t answer, I looked back up at him, reaching my hand out and grabbing hold of his upper arm. The muscles tensed, but proved to illicit the proper reaction as he looked back at me.

“I’m an idiot,” he said, bowing his head. “That’s what I am.”

His voice was tight as he spoke. He knew what I had asked despite everything. He wasn’t stupid, his eyes finally dimming, the bright fire being snuffed out.

“This is all my fault,” he whispered, a trail of red, almost black, leaking from his eyes.

I watched as it rolled down the side of his face, running over the top of his jaw and down. He was crying.

“No…” I choked out.

I didn’t want to see him crying. He wasn’t supposed to be crying. He was strong and that’s how I wanted him to remain. It was then that I finally started to feel everything begin to fade away. My breathing grew shorter as my heart pounded in my chest, blood dripping down the side of my mouth. I barely registered his hands on me, his grip like iron as my body grew lax. He was holding me against him as he pressed something to my mouth. I felt myself swallowing the blood in my mouth, unable to spit it out this time as I choked and gasped for air. I couldn’t breathe. I was drowning.


	9. 1884

**[The Lost Boys]**

**As the World Falls Down**

**Chapter 9**

**1884**

She was still in his arms, limp and silent.  Her heart had finally stopped. As he made his way down the beach, the spray of the waves bit at his ankles, biting and tearing at his nerves. Even still, he was almost numb to it. Allegra’s head was pressed against his chest. Her face had gone pale, her once bright features gone. She was cold.

He barely registered the chill in the air as he padded into the cave, feet stepping on stone and rubble. It didn’t bother him. He was numb to everything, but his heart. His heart, his would be cold dead heart, was a mass of heavy stone. It pained him with every step that he took. The faint thump-thump that thudded in his chest was like a bitter beating drum roll of death. It was like a final farewell.

Slowly, he came to a stop in front of the bed. His eyes trailed down. Allegra’s body was still motionless, her chest neither rising nor falling. Her eyes weren’t fluttering under her lids either. She was still as stone.

Swallowing, he laid her down on the mattress, her head falling to the side against the pillow. His hand reached out, brushing her cheek. It was cold now, skin white and ghostly. Nothing was moving, not even the blood in her veins. It was this that stilled him momentarily, his mind tormenting him. He’d made a last ditch effort when he’d seen things starting to turn south on him. Without thinking, he’d torn into his wrist, ripping it open. The open wound had been pressed to her mouth as she began to choke, gasping for air. She’d swallowed a bit of the blood in her mouth that had made its way up her throat. Theirs had mixed together, but he wasn’t sure what had been swallowed. He’d even pressed a bit of fresh blood into his mouth with his own, pushing her to swallow.

She’d taken her last breath after that. It had been silent, eyes closing. He felt something well up inside of him, tearing at his heart. He didn’t want things to end in such a way. She didn’t deserve the fate that had been handed to her as a result of his negligence. He felt that he had been the one to bring this upon her. Had he paid better attention, he would have known who was making their way down the beach. He’d ignored his senses, concentrating only on her and the sound of the waves. He’d been dismissive of everything else and it was all his fault.

David felt tears come to his eyes again as he knelt down beside the bed, running his hand along her arm. The skin no longer reacted to his touch the way that it had earlier that night. It made his stomach turn, a sour taste forming in his mouth.

“Damn it!” he hissed, pushing away from the bed momentarily.

He didn’t like the emotions he was currently feeling. They were dangerous. Anger and grief were the most tearing emotions for a vampire to experience. It left them on edge and hostile. It made them more easily caught.

His mind went to the bodies that he’d left on the beach. They were torn to shreds, a gruesome mess. Max would kill him if he found out he’d left such a thing unattended. It wasn’t safe. He almost didn’t care though. So, what, it would be a freak accident. No one cared about those idiots. The woman that had been with them had been innocent though. She was someone’s daughter and she’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now, there would be another missing persons report out, another poster, another child. It was all his doing and it’d been a result of his rage. She’d been the only one he hadn’t torn to shreds, ending her life with the mere snap of the neck. He’d been conscious enough to at least do that.

Growling, he pulled at his hair. His eyes were red again, tears leaking out and staining the cold floor. Things weren’t supposed to turn out this way. For hours, he sat hunched over, his head in his hands. He’d barely moved when the others had returned, merely telling them of the cleanup that needed to be done. Like David, the group grew solemn at the knowledge of Allegra’s death. Had they been there, things would have been even bloodier. They would have completely torn them limb from limb, biting and slowly draining them of life. They felt even worse though because they had the chance to stop things in their tracks. They could have prevented it all if they had stepped forward when they had seen the group, easily luring them away from prying eyes. They’d stayed though, keeping tabs on Allegra’s mother. They’d already planned their torment, deciding to act it out the following night. Now, it would be even worse. Perhaps, they’d scare her to death instead of scaring her straight. Or perhaps they’d merely be rid of her and the memory all together now.

It was thoughts like these that ran through everyone’s heads. It plagued them the entire night, none of them being able to truly sleep. After all, how could they? True, she hadn’t fully been one of theirs, but they’d grown attached to her. For Paul, she was like the sister he never had, having been an only child in his human life. For Marko, she was the older sister he wished his had been. His had been dismissive in his human life, pushing him to the side like a piece of trash. For Dwayne, she’d been a taste of sweet memories. He’d grown up with three sisters. Two of them unfortunately had died of sickness on the reservation without medicine. His older sister, he’d watched as she withered away from grief. Allegra reminded him of the better times, one’s filled with laughter and joy. She’d made him feel human again.

Unfortunately, they all knew the effect that she’d had on David. The man had fallen in love with her, for once, a true spark had made its way into his eyes. He’d become more lively, more attune to life. She’d brought humility back into his life. For once, the others had seen him smile. Not the fake, half assed shit that they were accustomed to, but a true smile. She’d brought life itself back to him.

It was for this reason why no one said a word about Allegra to him, merely letting him be. He’d deal with things in his own time. That much they knew.

xXx

Thump. The sound seemed to echo against the chill. The air felt stuffy. Sound was muffled, but the roar of the waves was still present somewhere. The comfort of a mattress, thin sheets pulled up and tucked in at the edges. A pillow. I was vaguely aware of it all as a haze rested over my mind.

The last thing that I remembered was the cold chill of the ocean air and David’s face lingering above me. David. He’d watched as I choked, fear in his eyes. I’d never seen him so scared. The tears. I remembered the tears, the trail of red that leaked from his eyes and stained his face. I’d never seen him cry. He wasn’t supposed to cry.

My mind paused for a moment. I had been shot. I no longer felt the pain though. How was that possible though? The bullet had gone right through me, tearing straight through my back as it punctured my left lung. Mark had shot me. He’d aimed at David, but turned at the last second and shot me instead. He’d shot me. He’d actually shot me.

Slowly, I peeled open my eyes, a hint of light hitting them. I flinched at the difference, closing them again momentarily, before pushing myself up. I couldn’t understand what had happened. How was I even alive? Looking down, I glanced over my clothes, running a hand over my ribs. There wasn’t any pain. Lifting my shirt, I realized that there wasn’t even a scar. The blood was still there, proof that I’d been shot, but there was no wound.

“How?” I whispered, turning to look back around the cave.

David. I spotted him off to the side. He was seated in his wheel chair, a strained look on his face. Blood had dried in a trail from his eyes down. I hadn’t imagined it. Tears of blood.

Quietly, I made my way toward him, my own eyes filling with tears. I was scared and confused. I didn’t know what had happened to me or why I was even still breathing. The inability to breath had been all too real. I had died. I knew that, which is why this made no sense to me.

“David…” I whispered, sniffing as I reached my hand out.

I sat before him, kneeling on the ground. I gripped his pants in my hand as I bowed my head, shaking slightly. I just didn’t understand it. I knew that I had died. I had been shot. Mark had shot me.

“David,” I whispered, laying my head on his lap.

Tears spilled from my eyes and I watched as they stained his pants red. It wasn’t natural.

With a groan, I watched as his face scrunched up, eyes finally peeling open. When they did, he froze, his mouth falling open and his eyes going wide. His mouth moved slightly, but no words came and before I knew it, his arms were around me.

xXx

He couldn’t understand it. He’d been almost curtain that the blood he’d given her had been too late. The weight in his arms said otherwise as a tear slide from his eyes. He could feel the pain in his chest lift as he held her against him, her head pressed against his shoulder. She was shaking, tears running down her skin. Blood tears were spilling from her eyes.

“I thought…” he tried, swallowing as a lump formed in his throat.

He still found it hard to process what he was seeing. She was there in his arms and her body wasn’t ice cold anymore. It wasn’t as hot as it once was, but it wasn’t freezing cold either. Her skin was paler, but it wasn’t white. Her hair seemed softer even.

“You’re alive…” he whispered, pulling her back slightly to stare into her eyes.

Her eyes were still the same green blue that he’d come to love so much. They seemed a bit brighter now, but they were still hers. To think, he’d nearly lost the privilege of seeing them forever.

“How?” she asked, her voice shaky.

David finally felt himself frown when he realized she had no clue as to what he’d done to her. She had no clue what she was now, what he’d turned her into. No doubt, she was horribly confused.

“Allegra,” he sighed, brushing his thumb over her cheek.

He wasn’t sure how to tell her the truth. After all, how could he tell her that she was technically dead? She’d died in his arms and he’d been afraid that she was truly lost forever.

Slowly, he wrapped his arms back around her, pulling her close. He just wanted to feel her in his arms a while longer. That’s all that he wanted. He wanted to know that he wasn’t dreaming, that he wouldn’t wake up in a few minutes only to realize that it’d been his imagination and that she truly was gone from the world. He couldn’t bear the thought of it.

“David…” she whispered, her hand curling into his back.

 He’d since put a shirt back on, his front now covered. He almost wished that he hadn’t though as her hands dug in even further, gripping the shirt almost painfully.

She was shaking, shoulders twitching as she tried not to cry. It didn’t seem to do her much good though, the entire shoulder of his shirt becoming stained. He didn’t really mind so much, staring off at the end of the cave. The others weren’t awake yet, still fast asleep on the ceiling. It was still light out, even though it was closer to sun down due to how much light was shining in. He was actually surprised that he even woke up. He was even more surprised that she was awake. After all that she’d been through, he was almost sure that she’d be asleep for the next couple days at least.

“Allegra,” he started, pausing as he held his breath.

This was the part that he’d been dreading. The truth.

“Allegra,” he sighed, finally pulling her back enough so that he could look her in the eyes. “I need you to tell me what you remember,” he said, stroking her face.

He’d admit, he was fishing. He was fishing so that he knew how far to take things. He wanted to know that her reaction wasn’t a terrible one. He needed to know if he’d have to restrain her, lest she run and burn in the sun. He’d seen it happen once and it wasn’t something that he wanted to see again.

“I…” she opened her mouth to continue, closing it and opening again. “We were on the beach.”

He nodded his head, listening closely as she spoke.

“Tom and Mark,” she stopped, tears biting at the edge of her eyes. “They…he…”

She couldn’t seem to form the words, her head coming to rest against his chest.

“He…he shot me,” it came out as a whisper.

There. There it was. He watched as her face scrunched up momentarily.

“And you…”

David froze, waiting. He needed to hear this, despite how much it scared him. He needed this to happen.

“You killed them…didn’t you?”

Her voice was barely above a whisper. Her eyes trailed back to him, a look of hesitation in her eyes. No doubt, despite her plight, she’d still seen him. She heard him, that much was obvious. After a moment, he realized that she’d seen him as well.

Her fingers curled into his arms as he nodded, his ears picking up a sharp intake of breath. He’d known already what part of her reaction would be.

“Please, Allegra, I can explain,” he said quickly, standing as she pulled away from him.

She took a couple of steps backwards, but she didn’t run, allowing David to relax a bit. It was going okay so far.

“What are you?” she asked again, wrapping her arms around herself.

“I’m the same as you,” he told her, carefully taking a step toward her.

“Liar!” she snapped, narrowing her eyes. “What I saw said otherwise.”

He paused again, swallowing thickly. What could he possibly say to make her understand?

“Allegra,” he sighed, dropping his hands to his sides. “I’ve been around the block a few times,” he told her, watching as her face scrunched up in confusion. “I was born in 1884.”

xXx

1884? He’d just said 1884. Not 1964 or 1954. Not 19 anything. It was 1884. 1884.

“My family died in 1906,” he told me, slowly stepping back and taking a seat in his throne of a wheel chair again.

There it was. The year 1906.

“We were here, on vacation in this very spot, this very hotel,” he started, his head in his hands. “The rope snapped when it hit.”

Rope? What rope was he talking about?

“I pulled their bodies from the elevator shaft a few days later.”

His voice was quiet as he spoke, finding myself frozen in place. It wasn’t even a matter of his birth at this point as he sat there talking about his family.

“They’d been crushed inside, part of it having caved when it crashed. I don’t even know if they had time to realize it.”

I was silent. How could I not be?

“I spent days sifting through the rubble trying to find them,” he told me, finally looking up at me. “Gabriel hadn’t even started school yet.”

My mouth was dry. I couldn’t even form the words. What could I even say? Sorry? Wish I could have been here 80 years ago? I had no clue what to say.

“Sometimes, I wish Max would have just left me to die that day.”

Die? He wishes he had died.

I felt my heart beat, a painful ache in my chest. I thought back to the first time we’d met. He’d saved me, him and his brothers, from Tom and his lackeys. Both brothers were gone now though. He didn’t even know me from Eve and yet he’d come forward willingly to help pull me out of my troubles. Yes, he’d scared the shit out of me with his bike, but he’d still helped me and then taken me home. He’d helped me and I hadn’t even asked for it or his attentions. I hadn’t asked for any of it.

David had stayed with me through the bullshit, an open ear, and open shoulder. He never had to be asked. He just did. He’d taken me home from the hospital and stayed with me. He’d kept me safe and warm. He’d put a smile on my face.

“David…” I whispered, any previous thoughts of self-preservation or hesitations being thrown out the window at this point.

I dropped to my knees in front of him, placing my hands on his neck. I felt the edge of my eyes water for a moment and my mind became sober.

“I’m glad that you’re here,” I told him, biting my lip as I let my fingers skim his jaw.

I still wasn’t sure what exactly had happened, but I was glad that he was ‘here’. He was important, despite how he might feel about himself at times. No one could ever take his place.

“I’m sorry,” he sighed, closing his eyes. “I never should have dragged you into this shit,” he bit out, pulling at his hair again.

“David,” I sighed, pressing my forehead to his. “I put myself here,” I told him. “I put myself here by caving and going out with Mark to begin with. It still would have happened even without you.”

I paused then, thinking things over.

“You’re the only reason I’m still here,” I whispered, realization smacking me in the face like a brick. “I don’t know how, but without you, I’d be dead right now.”

I think things finally started to sink in after I verbalized it. Somehow, I knew I hadn’t made it out alive. It wasn’t possible. Not without something or some sort of scar or wound left behind.

“I’m dead…aren’t I?” I finally asked.

I watched as he flinched, lips pulling into a line. Somehow, I knew the truth. I knew what the answer was. I never would have survived that shot through the back. Blood had already built up in my lungs. I was choking on it. All I could taste was blood.

“Allegra…” he tried.

His eyes were blurring, red seeping from the corners.

“I didn’t have a choice,” he breathed out. “I couldn’t…”

He paused again, looking me in the eyes.

“I couldn’t lose you,” he finally confessed.

My mouth went dry, tongue catching in my throat. I wondered if I had heard right. Had he truly been afraid of losing me? Surely, if he was as old as he said he was, which was still hard to believe, I was sure that someone like me was a dime a dozen. There were plenty of young girls out there. What made a difference without me? I realize that it was stupid thinking, but I couldn’t’ help it. I’d gone for so long, thinking just that, that I wasn’t worth a grain of salt to anyone and then he’d come along and made me feel special. He’d made me feel wanted.

“After all these years, I didn’t want to be alone again.”

His hands gripped mine as he spoke, holding them tightly. He didn’t want to be alone.

xXx

Eventually, David had explained to me what had happened. He’d explained the nature of his being, brothers included. This had all been after we’d gone back to sleep. The sun was just too draining.

David had given me a little spiel about how I’d never grow old or die. All I’d have to do was feed and I could be with him forever. Forever was an odd concept for me as I knew that nothing ever truly lasted forever in this world. There were too many undetermined factors in the mess of everything. Too many pieces.

Still, forever? He’d almost joked about the never growing old, relaxing a bit when he realized that I wasn’t going to have a mental breakdown or anything. In fact, it was almost funny when the guys realized that I was up and moving around. They seemed leery, like they were walking on egg shells. I was tempted to use it to my advantage and scare the shit out of them, especially Paul. It would be all too easy to mess with him.

As the night wore on, I found myself thinking things over a bit more. Like everything else, when I had a question, it was answered. We’d went over the typical vampire myths, crossing off what was truth and fiction.

Garlic, one of my more enjoyable cooking tid bits had no effect on vampires at all, much to my relief. Sunlight, as I would grow to realize was fatal to us. Us. It was an us now.

In all these years, there’s never truly been an us. An us would mean that something actually had to have a togetherness of sorts. It meant that there had to be some semblance of unity. There’s only ever been me though. Me. Just me. I’d been alone, without anyone. My mother wasn’t a part of an us. David, Paul, Dwayne, and Marko. They were all together. They were vampires and now, so was I.

“How am I going to explain this to Aaron?” I groaned, running a hand through my hair.

I had no clue how I was going to keep my other jobs. What about the day time hours? I had errands to make, things to do. How was I going to do anything?

“There’s nothing you can do,” Dwayne said, snapping me out of my thoughts. “No one can know about this.”

“He’s right,” David nodded, leaning back into the couch.

My head was laid in his lap, legs sprawled a top the cushions. We’d been like that for the last hour, sitting and doing nothing. It was like he was deliberately letting me work through things in my head. I didn’t mind though. In fact, it was rather appreciated. Everything that had happened was just too much to take in at one time. My mind was riddled with thoughts.

“But I can’t just not go to work,” I told him. “I mean, how am I supposed to explain it? I’ll lose my job.”

David sighed as he looked up at the ceiling, closing his eyes as his brows kitted together.

“We don’t exactly get to have normal lives after the big bite, Chica,” Paul pointed out, coming over and sitting on my legs.

“Get off,” I narrowed, finding the pressure annoying and rather uncomfortable.

“Ah…but I thought we could cuddle,” he grinned, before flopping over on top of me.

“Paul!” I groaned, shoving at him. “Get the hell off of me!”

All he did was laugh, pulling at my cheeks and rubbing his face against my chest.

“Get off!” I growled.

I could feel my face contort in anger and embarrassment, eyes narrowing. There was a firmness pressing at my lips as they drew back. Paul jumped in surprise, tumbling off of the couch and onto the floor, but not before accidentally kneeing me in the ribs.

“Damn, Chica!” he exclaimed, blinking as he looked me over.

David had taken this time to look back at me, a small smirk forming on his face. Whatever it was, he found it amusing.

“I find it sexy,” he chuckled, brushing a finger over my cheek, my brows furrowing in confusion.

“The hell are you two talking about?” I asked, pushing myself up off of David’s lap so that I could sit up.

An object was tossed David’s way a moment later, said vampire catching it with ease. I heard the click and then he was shoving something in my face. It took me a few moments to realize what the thing was that was staring back at me.

My lips parted as I stared on, speechless and mute. Eyes of red stared back at me, glowing like glaring embers. They were surrounded by the harshness of my brows, sharp and pointed, cheek bones pressing at my skin. My entire face had tightened like hide on a drum, specks of white shining back at me. The pressure at my lips, I found that it was a pair of fangs, the pointed canines glaring back menacingly for all to see.

“Holy shit…” I breathed out, slowly raising a hand to my lips.

I flinched when I managed to prick my finger, drawing blood and watching as it dripped from my finger. It’s like I’d pricked it with a needle.

David took hold of my hand, gripping it in his own, guiding it to his lips. I was without words as his lips wrapped around my finger, sucking lightly at the tip. It was the most sensual thing that I’d felt for a while, feeling a spark of heat rushing to my face, his eyes on mine.

“You should learn to be more careful,” he whispered, pressing his lips to the tip of my finger once more, his tongue reaching forward and lapping at it for a second.

My ears were practically burning now and I found myself glaring at him in irritation as the others laughed. It was entertainment for them. Personally, I didn’t find it very funny though, pushing away and finally standing up. I made my way outside, away from all of them.

The air felt different as I stepped outside, the rush of the ocean spray coming to meet me. It was a welcomed relief, feeling its cold caress touch my face with its scattered reach. The salt seemed to stick to my face as I let my tongue dart out to lick it away, tasting it. I realized how odd a sensation it was, the taste coming across a little stronger than I was used to. It was a mixture of salted spray, day old sweat, and blood. I nearly froze when I realized it, feeling oddly terrified at the fact that I could pinpoint it.

As I stood there, I inhaled deeply. I could smell the old pine of the walk, the sand beneath me, and the stench of smoke from the cave, a mix of cigarettes and dope. The latter of the two was Paul’s doing, the former being David. He was smoking. I rarely ever saw him smoke. Then again, I normally didn’t spend the whole ‘day’ with him either. In fact, normally, I’d be in bed right now as I knew that it had to be somewhere between two and three o’clock in the morning. Oddly enough, I wasn’t that tired. In fact, I wasn’t tired at all.

Standing there feeling the spray, my mind wandered again. The sight before me was beautiful, but what about the sun set or the sunrise. I’d never be able to truly see the sun again or feel its warm rays on my face. I’d never feel its warmth again. It was sad really, I actually enjoyed laying on the sun every now and then, falling asleep and waking up with a tan. I didn’t do it very often, but it’d been enjoyable nonetheless.

“This sucks,” I muttered, groaning as I felt my stomach turn.

I was tempted to just walk into town and get something, but I remembered almost too late that my clothes were still bloodied up. Out of irritation, I pulled my shirt off, tearing it to shreds. I was irritated at this point, feeling my face contorting again. It was frustrating. I was never this restless or irritable and it was driving me crazy. Maybe it was the stress?

Pushing off from my spot, I made my way back into the cave. I didn’t see my jacket lying around, so I grabbed the first one I saw. It just so happened to be Paul’s, but I didn’t care.

“Hey now!” he exclaimed, leaping forward. “That’s…”

He stopped when he saw my state of undress, eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

“Problem?” I asked, raising a brow in question.

He shook his head, letting me pass. He was smarter than I gave him credit for.

xXx

They sat there, watching as she left. Paul was still in shock, eyes trailing in the direction that she’d disappeared to. To say that they were surprised was an understatement. They’d been shocked, watching as she walked in without a shirt. It wasn’t like her to walk around like that, but she seemed to have thrown her reservations out the window in that regard.

Granted, David had to admit, she didn’t look bad, walking around in her black laced bra. It was rather sexy to be honest. By the silent chatter, the others seemed to be in agreement.

“Paul!” David snapped, pulling him out of his stupor.

Said blonde turned in his direction, giving him a questioning look.

“What the hell?” Paul asked.

The question was directed at Allegra, the only other brunette in the bunch.

“Since when does she…” he gestured to his front, referring to the lack of clothing.

“I don’t know,” David shrugged, pushing himself up from the couch.

He didn’t know if it was such a good idea, having her wandering around on her own. It was already around 3:30 at this point and he didn’t want her staying out longer than necessary. She wasn’t used to having to worry about the sun coming up as it tried frying her to a crisp.

Closing his eyes, David tried to concentrate, zeroing in on where she was. They were connected now. When he’d given her his blood instead of Max’s, _his_ sire, a bond had been made between the two that had now bound them together. In fact, he was glad that it was his blood instead of Max’s. It meant they were closer and that Max had no sway over her since David was her sire and not him. Max wouldn’t be able to get into her head like David could and he found it to be a blessing. As a new born, there was no way in hell that she would have been able to fight off Max’s mental advances.

“Why don’t the rest of you get something to eat before the sun comes up?” David suggested. “I’ll go find her.”

The others nodded, leaving the cave as David followed behind. He knew where she was, wandering aimlessly around the area. When he’d found her, she was eating, trying to quench the new found hunger in her stomach. She had absolutely no clue what it truly was, merely shoving food in her mouth as her stomach churned painfully. No doubt, she would be sick soon, throwing up all that she had eaten. She didn’t know any better though, leaving him to sympathize with her as he’d been in her shoes once before. Yes, he’d been there long ago.

xXx

No matter what I did, it was still there, that gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach. I’d tried a burger, fries, Chinese, chips, fruit, bread, anything I could think of. All it did was make things worse, that terrible feeling trailing at the back of my throat. It burned and I felt myself hunching over as my eyes watered, before emptying my stomach onto the ground.

I found myself hugging my stomach, trying to will the pain away that resided there. It wouldn’t work and I gagged, heaving painfully. It continued until all that was left was dry heaves and the constricting of my throat.

“Hey, you alright?”

I looked up in the direction of the voice. I was shocked when I realized who it was.

“Allegra?”

It was Mitch. His brows furrowed as he looked me over, eyes straying momentarily as he realized the fact that I was missing a shirt.

“I… What happened?” he asked. “Are you okay?”

I went to nodded, heaving as he stepped closer, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“You don’t look so good.”

“I feel sick,” I muttered, pulling my eyes away from the ground in front of me and bowing my head.

He sat down beside me, carefully taking my hands in his. He nearly flinched when our skin made contact.

“You’re freezing!” he exclaimed, a frown forming on his face as he rubbed my hands between his.

I didn’t know what to do or how to explain it to him. My throat just felt so raw, the remnants of acid burning away at it and leaving an even more bitter taste in my mouth than the food had.

“I… I haven’t been feeling well the last couple of days,” I told him. “What are you doing out here anyway?” I asked, realizing what time it must have been.

“I couldn’t sleep, so I figured I’d go for a run,” he told me, gesturing to the running shoes that he was wearing.

I nodded my head, closing my eyes as I took in a deep breath. I paused, brows furrowing.

“Do you smell that?” I asked, looking around.

“Smell what?” he asked, confusion now etched on his face.

“That smell…”

I frowned, standing up from my spot. I tried to think of what kind of food place could still be open that would smell so good. It was almost tormenting.

“You can’t tell me you don’t smell that,” I whined.

I sniffed again, closing my eyes momentarily as I tried to pinpoint it. It was blanketing the air with its scent. The smell itself made my stomach gurgle with hunger. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, driving me forward.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Mitch asked.

He reached forward, carefully taking hold of my shoulders and pulling me to him.

“Are you sure no one slipped you anything?”

His question was a valid one, but unneeded as I knew otherwise. It wasn’t due to some narcotic, unfortunately. I think that I could have handled that better than what I was going through right now.

“Allegra.”

His hands were on my face now, eyes snapping to attention. I felt my body jolt for a moment. My eyes watered as I realized something. His skin was so close to my nose. The smell, it was coming from…

“No…” I whispered.

“Huh?”

Confusion was written across his face as he looked me over.

“No!”

I pushed away from him, fear coursing through me. I didn’t understand it. Why was it coming from him? Why did he smell so… Delicious? This was a person, not a piece of meat!

I covered my face with my hands as I backed away. It was happening again. I could feel my face contorting painfully. Something was pressing at my gums. I felt tears roll down my face.

“Allegra?” Mitch’s voice was laced with worry, footsteps striding closer.

“Don’t, please?” I begged, backing away even further.

I didn’t want him near me. I didn’t want something to happen where I might hurt him. Somehow, I knew what I was feeling and it scared the shit out of me. I didn’t want this. Damn it!

“Just let me help you,” he tried again, backing me up against the wall. “I won’t hurt you,” he promised.

I didn’t really know how it happened, but the second his warm hand touched my shoulder, I lashed out.

“Don’t touch me!” I hissed.

My nails caught his arms as I shoved him away from me, sending him flying several feet away and into the bench. I watched as he flipped, a groan escaping him as he moaned in pain. I was pretty sure that I heard a rib or tow snap, my eyes going wide. All I could do was run, so I ran. I ran and I didn’t look back.

xXx

He almost felt bad as he snapped the kids neck. It was a waste really, but he found that he wasn’t hungry. He couldn’t let him live after what had happened with Allegra though. No, it would have put her at risk. That was something that he couldn’t let happen.

David did feel bad about one thing though as he walked the streets in the shadows. He regretted leaving her on her own, letting her go without staying by her side. It was obvious how scared she was now after realizing what she’d nearly allowed herself to do. Things were coming to her slowly and those were always the worst.

He remembered the first time that he truly realized what he was. At the start of the 1900’s, no one knew the difference. He’d been down in the dumps and at the time, there was no reason for people to be cautious when approaching others. Some guy had been out with his young wife when they found him.

David had been hunched against the wall, still grieving over his family. A lot of people were doing the same thing, so they didn’t think anything else of it. They were merely the unfortunate ones to approach him.

He could still remember the screams as he tore them apart, his rage getting the better of him. He didn’t have a handle on himself yet and he lashed out easily, gripping the man by the throat as he sank his teeth into him. His wife had screamed, but he’d dragged her back by the ankles. In the end, she met the same bloody fate as her husband. The two were innocent that night, but it hadn’t been enough to save them.

He remembered the look on Max’s face when he found him. He’d cleaned the boy’s mess up, a look of pride on his face as he did so. It had been a disturbing concept, the prideful look on the elder man’s face. David felt no pride in what he had done. Eventually, he came to accept it, but he’d felt no pride. Over the years, the hunt had become second nature to him and he didn’t bat an eye at the sight of blood or death. Allegra didn’t have that luxury though as a new born nor with her personality in general. It wasn’t exactly in her nature to be so violent.

He was almost surprised when he found her sitting on the porch of her house. She had her head in her hands, tears cascading down her face. Next door, the dog was barking. He didn’t leave the stoop though.

David let his feet carry him toward her, the crunch beneath his boots the only sound he made. She didn’t even seem to register the sound as she sat there crying, scared out of her mind. He hadn’t wanted this for her, not after all the time he’d spent with her. He didn’t want her to feel the same pain and fear that he had felt upon turning.

“Allegra,” he whispered.

He was seated beside her now, legs spread slightly as his back pressed against the post of the porch. She nearly lashed out when he placed his arms around her, holding her tight. He let her struggle, but he didn’t let go. It was something that he had to let her run through. It was the pain, the fear, the anxiety, the torment. It was all of them built up in one as she screamed at him, his hand pressing against her mouth in an attempt to quiet her.

“It’s alright,” he told her, pinning her arms at her sides.

Her face was one of fury, bright red eyes shining back at him in the dark. Her fangs were bared, saliva dripping like venom.

“Allegra!” he grunted, pressing his chin into the side of her neck as he tried to still her movements further. “You need to calm yourself,” he instructed.

When she continued to ignore him, he found himself getting frustrated. She just didn’t have the same level of control as he didn’t. It was something that she wouldn’t have for at least another five to ten years. Grunting, he narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth and sinking his teeth into her shoulder. The act itself stilled her almost immediately, body going stock still as she whimpered. He knew that the action was cruel and unfair, but he didn’t have a choice. He knew it was a low move as her sire, but he felt he had to do it to get her to stop and calm down.

Slowly, he removed his fangs from her shoulder, drawing back enough to look her over. Her face had softened, the sharpness of her jaw fading. There was still a flicker of red in her eyes though, the telltale sign of her vampirism.

“You need to learn to calm yourself,” he told her, carefully turning her around to face him. “You’re not alone in this,” he promised, his hand trailing along her neck to her bleeding shoulder.

He knew that it wouldn’t bleed for very long as a vampire. In fact, he could already see it trying to heal. He still found it strange though, how with that one bite he’d managed to subdue her. As a Sire, by biting into her like he had, it had released a certain amount of endorphins, calming like one would by scruffing a ferret.

“I know it’s hard, but we’ll get through this… I promise.”

xXx

My head was a bit fussy as I sat there. My muscles were no longer taut, the flesh now relaxed. When his teeth had bit into my shoulder, I’d flinched, feeling the shock of pain that went through me. Oddly enough, it only lasted for a few moments until the pain faded. Instead, I was left feeling something else. It was almost intimate in nature, something welling in the pit of my stomach. I had to stop myself from groaning as he pulled his fangs from my shoulder, closing my eyes momentarily.

“You need to learn to calm yourself,” he told me, turning me around so that I could face him properly. “You’re not alone in this.”

His voice was firm as his fingers trailed along the side of my neck to my shoulder. The touch itself was soft and comforting, leaving a trail of goose bumps in its wake.

“I know it’s hard, but we’ll get through this.”

His hand pressed against my cheek, eyes trained with mine.

“I promise.”

I nodded my head slowly, eyes welling up again. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe him. I just felt so out of place right now, so out of control and scattered. My senses were in a thousand different places at once and I couldn’t seem to consolidate them on my own.

“David,” I whispered, eyes burning. “I… I almost…”

I watched as he nodded his head in understanding, the look on his face almost hesitant as he looked ready to speak. He was stalling.

“David?”

I bit down on my lip, brow furrowing.

“I took care of it,” he said slowly, his fingers curling at the base of my neck.

I felt myself shudder as I realized what that meant. Once again, I found myself crying, my body falling against him as I held tightly to his trench coat. If I’d just been able to control myself then he wouldn’t have had to gotten involved. I knew exactly why he’d had to step forward. I wasn’t stupid. He’d cleaned up my mess. On one wasn’t allowed to know the truth about us. It was just too dangerous.

“I’m sorry,” he sighed, running a hand through my hair.

I shook my head as I buried it against him, shoulders shaking. I hated feeling like this, so miserable and uncollected. I was a disheveled mess.

“Allegra, the sun will be up soon,” he said softly, pulling me back slightly so that he could look at me. “Why don’t we head back, okay?”

After a moment, I nodded my head, sniffing painfully as I tried to rid myself of the tears. No doubt, my face was completely stained at this point. I didn’t know how he could even look at me at the moment. As though sensing my thoughts, he gripped my face between his hands.

“You’re beautiful, no matter what,” he told me, pressing his forehead to mine.

“How…”

I was silenced as he pressed his lips to mine, eyes closing. The gesture was sweet and endearing. It set me aflame, my emotions trying to reach another high. When he pulled away, he had a smirk set on his lips.

“Come on.”


End file.
